Come Together
by supernaturaldarkangel252018
Summary: AU set in the beginning of season 13. The boys did not make it to the cabin before Jack was born, so now they're one step behind and have no idea what happened. Cas and Lucifer have disappeared, a baby is nowhere to be found, and Crowley is alive and kicking. This is a terrible summary, full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

_This is an AU set at the beginning of the present season, but the end of season 12 didn't end the way it did in the show. Sam and Dean did not make it to the cabin in time for Jack's birth, but show up after the fact, Cas and Lucifer have disappeared and Crowley did not die. Just know that everything will be explained in a few chapters, just not right away. And there is a mix that includes the present timeline and flashbacks. The flashbacks go back to season five and will bounce around throughout the seasons. This chapter only has flashbacks from season five._

 _The bigger change is that I've added Jensen's characters from Dark Angel, Alec and Ben, but that's all that's in here from Dark Angel, so you don't need to know anything about the show. I just really like his characters and wanted to throw them in the mix. If you do know Dark Angel, then just know that Alec and Ben are not adults in this and I'm not planning on bringing anyone else from the show into this._

 _It's complicated and I don't know if anyone is going to like it or not, but I had to put it out there. If you find it interesting at all, then please let me know and I will keep going. If no one is interested or if everyone hates this, then I'll take it down and that will be it. So, hopefully you enjoy this crazy little AU that I've come up with._

 _So, now that I'm done rambling, here it is..._

* * *

Chapter 1

Present

"What do you think did this?" Alec asked, looking up at him. Alec was crouched down at the edge of what looked like an explosion. Sam scanned the area, trying to find whatever caused the blast that was powerful enough to knock over trees and rip up the ground. And the blast was huge; he could barely see the trees on the opposite side of the perfect circle. The only thing that was unaffected was the stream that was nearby, which didn't even have any debris in the water.

"I don't know," Sam finally mumbled. He took a slow step around Alec, tentatively testing the ground. Alec stood up and started forward, but he quickly pulled his nephew back and steadied him when he swayed. "Hey, we don't know if the ground's stable yet…"

Alec rolled his eyes, "Worry wart." His uncle always worried too much about him, his whole family did actually. He was a magnet for trouble, but he was still an X5 so he could handle it. He didn't like being babied for so long, even if he did give his family a scare.

Sam scowled back and defended, "Alec, we don't know what did this. We need to be careful if we're gonna keep going."

"We should just call Dad and tell him to come back," Alec grumbled. He was bored; he was hoping to get just a little excitement after finally talking his way out of the motel. It had been a lot of work convincing his Dad that he was ok enough to just walk around for a while. His Dad was the world's biggest worry wart, followed closely by his uncle.

"Dean's already searching the area," Sam said with a sigh. "Stay here, ok?"

"Seriously?" Alec whined.

"Yeah, seriously," Sam said, trying to hide his smile. Alec was sounding more like himself now, which made him and Dean both feel better. They had nearly lost Alec, which had scared them both half to death. "You're barely back on your feet. You're lucky you got to leave the motel…" He didn't want to think about that argument; it had lasted almost an hour until Dean had finally caved, but no one could say no to Alec's puppy-dog-eyes.

"This is so stupid," Alec complained as he walked away from him. "I'm 17 now! You can't bench me for every little thing! And I'm fine!"

He ignored his nephew though and took slow steps into the clearing. The ground seemed stable enough, just a little charred. He had no idea what had caused this, but there was no way he was going to tell Alec that. His nephew was being even more of a brat than usual. It didn't help that this was the first thing he'd gotten to do since they had taken down the Brits a few days ago. Hurt or not, he got antsy if they made him sit around for too long. Dean had finally decided Alec could help him check out where the blast was as long as he didn't let him actually do anything. This was just to help him feel like he was doing something.

He made it to the middle of the clearing, but there was nothing to suggest what could have done this. He almost thought this could be an angel or a demon, but he'd still never seen anything that could damage this much land at once.

He turned in a circle, but there was nothing. There were no footprints or any kind of trail; it was like it had just appeared out of nowhere, destroying everything else.

"Uncle Sam!" Alec yelled, his voice small because of the distance. "Dad called!"

"Ok!" Sam yelled back. Maybe Dean had found something that could explain this. Or, he was checking up on Alec, and now his nephew was acting like Dean had found something so he'd come back. Either way he needed to find out what was going on. He walked back to Alec and asked, "What'd he say? Did he find anything?"

Alec shrugged, "He said he found something, but he wouldn't tell me what it was."

"Is he coming to get us?" Sam asked. They both started walking back to the road, since he figured Dean was going to come get them. He was kind of surprised they had split up in the first place since Alec was barely back on his feet. It was a big step for Dean, letting Alec come with him after what had happened.

"What do you think?" Alec sarcastically asked back.

Sam barely pushed Alec shoulder, making him laugh, "You're a brat."

"Don't ask stupid questions that you already know the answer to," Alec quipped.

"Brat," Sam grumbled.

* * *

"Here, see if these will fit," Dean said, passing over some of Alec's clothes. He'd been driving around, looking for whatever had caused what looked like a blast, when he saw a teenager, about his boys' age maybe a little older, walking down the road completely naked. He'd pulled over and stopped the kid to see what was going on.

The kid frowned at him, and then looked at the clothes in confusion.

"C'mon kid, you can't walk around naked," Dean said. "Just try them. If they don't fit, we'll find you something else later."

He finally took the clothes and slowly examined each article. Alec was going to be pissed that he'd given a stranger some of his clothes, but he'd get him more clothes later.

"You know those are Alec's, right?" Ben asked softly, concern coloring his tone. His brother hated sharing, especially since they didn't have much to begin with. Alec had no problem stealing his clothes though, he just wouldn't reciprocate. And he would throw a fit when he found out Dad gave away some of his clothes to a stranger.

Dean nodded to Ben and said, "He can get over it. I'll get him more."

"He's gonna be pissed…" Ben muttered, turning away from him.

He shrugged, but he didn't say anything to that. He knew Alec would be pissed, but he was already pretty unhappy about the lockdown he'd put him on. He didn't want Alec out of bed, but he couldn't ignore the puppy-dog-eyes. He'd sent Alec with Sam since he was pretty sure the blast was clear of any threats since whatever caused it was probably on the move. He was surprised that Ben didn't throw a fit about being away from his brother though. The boys would rarely split up unless he and Sam were going to split up. They thought he and Sam needed protection even though they were the adults. He wanted to keep his boys safe, but they wanted to keep him and Sam safe too.

"Are you lost? Where are your parents?" Dean asked. The kid finally started to pull on the clothes he'd given him, so it wasn't so awkward to talk to him.

"Parents?" The kid asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah, parents," Dean repeated. "Your mother and father."

"Father," the kid said with a smile.

"Yeah, where is he?" Dean asked.

The kid looked pointedly at him and said, "Father."

"He thinks you're his father," Ben said, trying to hide his smile. His Dad was really funny sometimes. It was obvious what the kid was thinking, but his Dad just didn't want to catch on.

Dean scowled, "No. I'm not your father." He looked around for a second, and then finally decided to change directions. "My name's Dean. What's yours?"

"Dean," The kid said, smiling again. Ben chuckled, but turned away so the kid wouldn't see.

"No, that's my name. I'm Dean and this is my son, Ben," Dean said. This kid was starting to annoy him; he needed to call Sam so he could deal with this.

"Father?" The kid asked.

"No kid, I'm not your father," Dean grumbled. "What do I call you? Do you have a name?"

The kid looked like he finally understood and said, "Jack. I'm Jack."

"Ok, Jack," Dean said, "Jeez, that was like pulling teeth."

"Pulling teeth?" Jack asked.

"It was really difficult," Dean said. Ben laughed, and he really wanted to smack his oldest upside his head so he would knock it off, but he didn't. He was just glad Alec went with Sam since this would be ten times harder if his youngest was here. "You wanna tell me what you were doin' out here, walkin' around naked?" Jack didn't answer him, and he was about at the end of his patience. "Never mind. Just stay there, ok? I'm gonna make a call, and then we'll go for a drive." He looked to Ben and said, "Watch him." Ben nodded, and he was thankful his son was serious again. He could always count on his boys to take things seriously when they needed to.

Jack smiled at him, but he just raised his eyebrows and shook his head. He didn't know what the kid's deal was, but Sam would know what to do. If they could get some answers out of him, then they could take him wherever he needed to go, but he didn't seem to know what was going on, so this was going to be difficult. If they couldn't get anything, then they'd have to take him back to the motel with them, but then maybe Mom would know what to do.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Sam's number, but his phone started beeping like his number was disconnected. He pulled his phone from his ear and frowned, but he shook his head and dialed Alec's number instead.

"Alec's phone, Alec speaking," Alec answered.

"Hey Alec, where's Sam?" Dean asked.

"He's in the middle of the circle of doom, where I wasn't allowed to go since it was apparently 'too dangerous'," Alec said sarcastically.

"Listen to your Uncle," Dean finally said, trying not to laugh. "Besides, you're lucky you got to leave the motel."

"I'm fine," Alec growled.

"Alec, you got shot and you nearly died. You shouldn't even be out here with us," Dean pointed out.

"I'm still standing, and Uncle Sam had a lot less recovery time after he got shot and checked himself out of the hospital," Alec said.

Dean sighed; he needed to drop this argument and get Alec onto something else, otherwise they would argue forever. "Tell Sam I found something," he finally said.

"What'd you find?" Alec immediately asked.

"Well, I'm coming to you, so you'll find out soon," Dean said.

Alec huffed, but then said, "Fine. But hurry up, because I'm bored outta my mind."

"Ok kiddo, I'll be there soon," Dean said with a smile. He hung up and turned to look at Jack, but he jumped when he saw the kid was so close to him. He put his hands on the kid's shoulders and made him take a step back so he'd have more space. "Personal space, alright kid?" Jack nodded and smiled at him again. He didn't know what the deal was with all the smiling, but maybe once they got him talking, they'd figure it out. "I thought I said to watch him," Dean grumbled to Ben.

Ben shrugged, "I'm still watching him."

He rolled his eyes; he forgot sometimes that Ben could be just as ornery as Alec. "C'mon, we're going for a ride."

He walked over to the backdoor and held it open for Jack as he got in, while Ben sat shotgun. It didn't take long to get back to the place he'd dropped Sam and Alec off, and he was happy to see both of them standing on the side of the road when he got there.

Alec scowled when he saw someone in his backseat, and he immediately moved to his window and motioned for him to roll it down. "Who's this?" Alec asked in annoyance.

"Chill Alec," Dean said. Maybe he should have warned his son that he'd picked up a kid. Alec wasn't the best with surprises, especially when they might threaten his family. "This is what I found."

Sam bent and looked in the window to see who he and Alec were talking about. "You found a kid?"

"Yeah, his name's Jack," Dean said. "That's all I could get out of him."

* * *

 _2010_

 _Dean led the way to their motel with Sam trailing behind him. He was still mad at his brother, and he didn't feel like talking to him. If he talked to him, then he would start yelling again. His brother hadn't listened to him, and the result was the start of the apocalypse. But Sam knew he was mad at him, so it wouldn't do any good to keep yelling at him._

 _He stopped short once he got to their room, and slowly pulled his gun from the back of his pants. Sam copied his motion, so they both had their guns raised as they slowly approached their door which was partially ajar._

 _He motioned to Sam that he would go in first, and Sam nodded, easily accepting whatever he said to try to get back on his good side._

 _He counted down from three, and then kicked open the door. He quickly scanned the room for whatever had broken in there, but he froze completely when he saw the little kid sitting in the middle of his bed. But that wasn't even the weirdest part. The weirdest part was the little kid had his looks; his eyes, his freckles, and his blonde hair._

 _"Hi," the little kid said. "My name's Alec." He looked back at Sam, who just shrugged back to him. Neither of them had any idea what to do with this little kid. "Sam and Dean Winchester, right?" Alec asked when they didn't say anything. "I've been looking everywhere for you guys. You're really hard to find, you know that?"_

 _"Look kid-"_

 _"Alec," the little kid interrupted. "My name's Alec."_

 _"Alec," Dean amended. "How did you get in here? And how do you know who we are?"_

 _"It's not rocket science to pick a lock," Alec said. "And I know who you are because you're my DNA donor."_

 _"Your DNA donor?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah, I'm your clone," Alec said with a wide smile. He was a cute kid, but Dean just then noticed that he was filthy. His cheeks were dirty and his hair, and he was wearing what might have been a hospital gown at one point, but was so filthy, it was hardly recognizable._

 _"How long have you been looking for us?" Dean asked in concern._

 _"Since I escaped," Alec said._

 _"Escaped what?" Dean asked._

 _"Manticore," Alec said matter-of-factly. "They didn't hide their information as well as they should have. Or they shouldn't have trained me so well in breaking and entering." He'd been looking forward to this day for a long time. It was mainly just a pipedream, but now it was a reality. He was looking at the only person who had given him hope of something better. Now he just hoped his donor wouldn't freak out and kick him to the curb._

 _"When was the last time you ate something?" Dean asked, noticing how scrawny Alec looked. His cheeks were slightly hollow and his eyes were slightly sunken. He definitely needed to get this kid something to eat._

 _Alec shrugged, "I found something in the dumpster the other day."_

 _"Sam, go get him something to eat," Dean said. "I'll get him cleaned up."_

 _"Seriously Dean?" Sam asked. "You find out you have a clone and the first thing you want to do is clean him up and feed him?"_

 _"He's just a little kid," Dean argued. "We'll ask him more questions after he's had something to eat." He walked over to Alec, tucking his gun away as he went, and then said, "C'mere and we'll get you cleaned up."_

 _Alec frowned at him, but stood up in the middle of the bed and moved towards him. He picked up the little boy, who weighed less than nothing, and carried him to the bathroom. He shot Sam a look on his way to make sure his brother actually went and got the kid some food._

 _Dean grabbed one of the white washcloths and ran it under the warm water. "You're filthy, you know that?" Dean asked, trying to wipe off some of the grime from the kid's face._

 _"It was a long walk to get here," Alec said._

 _"Where did you start from?" Dean asked._

 _"Wyoming," Alec stated._

 _Dean's eyes widened, but he decided to not go into it. Instead, he focused on getting the dirt off of Alec's face. The little boy scowled as he wiped off his face, but he didn't pull away from him. "Do you want to take a shower or a bath?" Dean asked, once he could clearly see Alec's pale features._

 _"Shower," Alec said. "We always take showers at Manticore."_

 _"Well, you're pretty dirty for a bath anyway," Dean said with a chuckle. He liked this kid, and not just because this was his clone. "How old are you?"_

 _Alec shrugged, "Nine, but not an old nine. I just turned nine a few weeks ago. That's what my file said anyway." Finding his file had been the turning point. He had a goal for when he escaped. He knew if he found his donor, he might have a chance at making it. And, with a DNA donor on file, it meant there was more out there besides Manticore. It wasn't just a fantasy that helped him get through the day, but it was real. He only wished he'd known sooner, and had saved himself some pain._

 _"Oh," Dean said, unsure of what else he could say._

 _Alec smiled, and then asked, "How old are you?"_

 _"I'm 30," Dean said. He got the shower running to warm it up, and then reached for the filthy gown Alec was wearing. "Alright kiddo, arms up." Alec chewed his lip, but then shook his head no. "C'mon, we gotta get this off so you can get clean." Shit, he just now thought about what Alec would wear. Sam was already gone, so he'd just have to wear one of their t-shirts until they went out again._

 _"Promise I won't get in trouble?" Alec asked quietly. He didn't want to look weak, but he couldn't properly defend himself right now. Dean might freak out, and scared people couldn't be trusted. They did things without thinking to save themselves._

 _"Yeah, I promise you won't get in trouble," Dean said. "I want you to get clean, so this has to come off." Alec raised his little arms up and he pulled the shirt over his head, leaving him in just some dirty underwear. He frowned though when he saw a filthy pad of gauze taped to Alec's side, and what looked like darker dirt leaking under the edged. And his sides were dark with bruises. Maybe Alec really was telling the truth that he'd escaped from somewhere. "What's this?"_

 _"You promised I wouldn't get in trouble," Alec pointed out. Tears started to pool in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. He didn't know what he expected, but he'd hoped this would work. He couldn't go back, so this had to work. He should've known though that this was a bad idea. He'd just popped up, unexpectedly. Why would Dean drop everything to help him? He didn't even know him._

 _"You're not in trouble," Dean quickly reassured. "I'm just asking what this is." He started to reach out for the filthy gauze, but Alec pulled away._

 _"It's nothing," Alec said. He should just leave. Take off before this got more complicated, before he got too attached. Dean wouldn't understand and he'd just get hurt if he stayed. Part of him wanted to leave, but the other part wanted to stay. He'd never felt connected to anyone at Manticore, but now he felt like he belonged somewhere, which didn't make any sense because he didn't know Dean and Dean didn't know him._

 _"Let me look, ok?" Dean said, reaching out again. Alec didn't move this time, so he carefully pulled the gauze away from what looked like a bullet wound. He scowled; the wound was still leaking out blood and from what he could see, it looked like it could be infected. He wouldn't be surprised if it was, since Alec was covered head to toe in dirt. "Alec…someone shot you?"_

 _"I said I escaped, I never said it was an easy escape," Alec said. The little boy was trying to cover up his fear with humor, just like he would do. "Besides, they didn't_ actually _shoot me…it just ricocheted and hit me while I was running. I'm way too fast for them to actually shoot me."_

 _Dean huffed out a laugh and shook his head. He ruffled Alec's dirty hair, who instantly smiled back at him. "Turn around for me, ok?" Dean said after a moment. Alec turned, but his face fell when he didn't see an exit wound. He also saw a tattoo of a barcode on the back of the kid's neck, which made him feel sick. Someone had done this to a little kid, his kid. Alec turned to face him again, but looked scared when he saw his face. "Hey, everything's ok," Dean reassured, forcing a smile. "But we're either gonna have to go to the hospital or I'm gonna have to get that bullet out of you…"_

 _"I can do it," Alec said quietly. "I was going to do it before you got here, but I couldn't find what I needed…" It would be uncomfortable, but he didn't want to put this on Dean. He was really just surprised that Dean was taking this so well. He expected the ordinary to be freaked out that he was a clone and then even more freaked out when he saw he was hurt. No matter how much he thought he should run, a bigger part of him wanted to stay. But he still didn't want to make Dean do this._

 _He was shocked to hear this little kid say he was going to dig out a bullet by himself, and he was so matter-of-fact about it. No kid should be this calm about being shot and offering to take care of it himself. He needed to protect this kid, and try to make this as painless as possible. Someone had already hurt Alec, and he didn't want to make it worse. "No Alec, I'll do it," Dean said, rubbing Alec's little shoulders. "You lay down and I'll get what we need, ok?"_

 _Alec nodded, so he got up and ran to the Impala to get their heavy duty first aid kit. It hit him when he was down at his car that he had a little boy now. Clone or not, this kid was his. He could feel his chest tighten in panic; he could barely keep himself and his brother alive, how was he going to keep a little kid alive? He didn't even know how to take care of a little kid._

 _He let himself panic for just a minute, but then he pulled himself back together. His kid was hurt and he needed to take care of him. He knew what to do for bullet wounds; it just felt wrong to be patching up a little boy. But he had to do it, and focusing on something he knew how to do seemed to help him a little._

 _He ran back upstairs and found that Alec was lying on the bathroom floor, waiting for him. The little boy looked up at him with trusting eyes, causing his heart to swell. Sam looked at him like that, like he could fix anything and that he was always safe with him. He really hoped he didn't screw this up._

 _"Alright kiddo, let's get this bullet out, and then you can get cleaned up," Dean said, kneeling down beside the little boy. He reached out to press against Alec's side to make sure he didn't have any broken ribs or anything, but Alec pulled away from him again. "Alec, I gotta check you over…"_

 _"It hurts," Alec whispered._

 _His heart clenched, hearing Alec's admission. He didn't want to hurt Alec, but he had to do this so the little boy would heal. "I know it does," Dean soothed, running his hand through Alec's hair. "But if I get the bullet out, then it won't hurt as much."_

 _Alec clenched his jaw and nodded. He really didn't want to do this, but what he said was true and Alec couldn't go around much longer with a bullet still in him._

 _"I'm going to pour some antiseptic over your side, and it's gonna sting," Dean said, trying to walk Alec through what he was going to do. Maybe it would be better if he knew what was coming. "And then I've gotta make a cut, which is going to hurt, but I need to be able to get the tweezers in there, which is going to be the most painful part. It's going to hurt a lot, but as soon as I find the bullet, then it'll be done. That's gonna be the hardest part, but then it's easy sailin'. I'll just stitch you up, and then you can shower."_

 _"Then what?" Alec asked softly._

 _"Well, then Sammy will be back and we can eat," Dean said._

 _"Then what?" Alec repeated. He felt pathetic; he couldn't even ask what he really wanted to know. He was afraid of the answer so he couldn't just ask. No wonder he was always in trouble at Manticore; he was weak._

 _Dean frowned slightly, but then said, "Then you can go to sleep."_

 _Alec looked a little scared when he asked again, "Then what?"_

 _"I don't know…I guess we'll get breakfast when you wake up?" Dean asked more than said._

 _"You're not gonna kick me out?" Alec asked. He had to just get to the point now since it seemed like Dean was never going to catch on to what he was really asking. He didn't want to leave. He had nothing in this world and no one and he didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted to keep this feeling of being connected to someone._

 _"No Alec, I'm not gonna kick you out," Dean reassured, finally understanding what Alec was afraid of. "I'm gonna take care of you, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Alec whispered._

* * *

 _"He looks like a completely different kid," Sam said, as he walked back into the motel room._

 _Dean nodded as he looked down at the little boy sleeping against his side. Alec had conked out right after he had showered. He'd had to carry Alec back to the main room and put him on his bed, but then he'd decided to just stay with Alec since he didn't have anything else to do anyway._

 _Alec was wrapped around him with his face pressed against his side. If he wasn't already attached to Alec, then this would have sent him over the edge._

 _"We're keeping him, aren't we," Sam guessed. He knew that look on Dean's face, and he was a little surprised to see it there so soon. They didn't know how to take care of a little kid and with the apocalypse now in full swing, it was too dangerous for the little boy to be around them. Everything would be gunning for them now, and they probably wouldn't even be around long enough to really take care of him. But he knew his brother, and he knew this kid was blood. Dean took family very seriously, so he shouldn't be surprised that his brother wanted to keep the little boy that looked just like him._

 _"He's mine," Dean quickly defended. He didn't even know why Sam asked that. Of course they were keeping him. He really doubted the kid had anywhere else to go, and he'd looked so scared when he'd asked if he was going to kick him out. He would do everything in his power to keep Alec safe._

 _"You really think he's your clone?" Sam asked curiously. He couldn't even imagine clones existing, let alone looking just like his brother. This wasn't their normal gig, and it freaked him out a little bit to see a miniature version of his older brother._

 _"It doesn't matter if he's my clone or my actual son," Dean said. "He's my kid. I know he is."_

 _"How did they even get your DNA?" Sam asked._

 _He shrugged, "I don't know…but if he's nine, then I was what? 21 when he…um…happened? I did a lot of shit for money, and I know I donated blood and whatever else I could to get us by while Dad was hunting."_

 _Sam looked like he was about to get mad, but he nodded, and then asked, "What are we going to do about everything else?" He knew Sam was asking about what they were going to do to stop the apocalypse, but he really didn't know. He knew it was their job to stop it since they were the ones to start it, but Alec was his responsibility now too and he didn't want him to get caught up in this._

 _"I don't know," Dean said honestly. He really hadn't thought about what all had happened since they had first walked into the motel to find Alec._

 _"I'll call Bobby," Sam said. He walked over to his bed and dropped off a bag of food and another bag before he walked back out._

 _Dean grabbed the other bag and peeked inside to find some clothes. He smiled; he owed Sam for this one. "Hey kiddo, can you wake up for me? Sammy brought you back some food and some clothes," Dean said. Alec was currently wearing one of his t-shirts, which was big enough to completely cover him, but he knew the little boy would be more comfortable in some real clothes._

 _Alec gasped suddenly and shot up, but he quickly grabbed his side and fell back onto the bed. Dean had been too surprised to stop the little boy from moving, but he rubbed Alec's shoulder and ran his hand through the kid's hair to try to comfort him._

 _"Let's try that slower, ok?" Dean asked. He helped Alec sit up slightly, and then leaned him back against the pillows. "Stay put and I'll get you something to drink."_

 _Alec watched him closely as he stood up and got him some water to drink. He could tell the kid was smart; he took in his surroundings quickly, and kept his eyes on what could be the biggest threat. Whoever Manticore was, it had trained Alec to be a soldier. He'd noticed the perfect posture and observant gazes, he just couldn't figure out why someone would train a nine-year-old to be a soldier. It was sick to even think about, especially since the bruises on Alec's sides had come before the bullet. Someone had been beating on the little boy, and that made him sick to his stomach with hate. He wanted to kill whoever did this, but he knew that wasn't the priority right now. Right now, he had to take care of Alec._

 _"So, how'd you find us?" Dean asked as he settled in next to Alec again. Maybe he could get more answers now that Alec was a little more comfortable around him._

 _Alec took a sip of water, and then said, "I knew your name from my file, so I hacked into a computer at the library and read everything I could about you. Did you really rob a bank?" He found Dean fascinating. At the library he'd hacked into police records as soon as he saw that Dean had robbed a bank. Everything in there was a contradiction. There were eyewitnesses claiming that Dean was the bad guy, that he had robbed the bank and took hostages, and one case where he tortured and killed someone. But then there were testimonies from people claiming he had saved them, that he was a hero, not a killer. He wanted to know everything about his DNA donor, but at the same time he didn't want to freak him out, and he definitely didn't want to get in trouble for asking too many question. He wanted to know, but he wanted to test the boundaries first._

 _Dean chuckled, "No, not exactly…"_

 _"How come it said you died?" Alec asked, his voice sad. That was one thing he couldn't let go. His hope had nearly died when he'd read that. His only hope was dead; he'd been too late in escaping. If he had escaped sooner, then maybe he could've prevented Dean from dying._

 _He hesitated on this one. "That's pretty complicated," Dean finally said. He didn't like how sad Alec sounded, but he didn't know how to explain that Henriksen faked their deaths for them a couple years ago. His life was a complicated mess, and he didn't know if he should really be dragging Alec into it. But Alec didn't have anywhere else to go. "If you thought we were dead, how come you kept looking?"_

 _Alec shrugged, "I didn't have a plan B so I kept looking. You use funny names as your cover, so that's what I looked for. I kept on the move though since you stayed in South Dakota a lot, but I looked every night to see if I could find any of your names…"_

 _"You kept track of the names?" Dean asked._

 _Alec nodded, "I have a good memory, so it was easy."_

 _"So, you looked for the names we use, and even though you thought we were dead you found us," Dean said._

 _"One of your names popped up in my search, and even though I thought it was a long shot, I found the motel and broke in and I found your picture in your bag," Alec said._

 _Dean smiled, "You're a smart kid, you know that?"_

 _"I know," Alec said._

 _"So, are you hungry?" Dean asked after a moment. Alec looked up at him and nodded, so he reached for the food bag and looked inside. "You want a hamburger, chicken nuggets, or both?"_

 _"Both," Alec said._

 _Dean chuckled, "Alright, we'll go with both."_

 _He started unpacking the food and Alec had just started eating when Sam came back in. "Bobby's on his way, he should be here in a few hours."_

 _"Alright, maybe he'll know what to do," Dean said._

* * *

 _"Ok, so let me get this straight," Bobby said, adjusting his hat. "You boys set Lucifer free, appeared in a plane, and then found a kid in your room. Am I missing anything?"_

 _"He's_ my _kid," Dean corrected. "He's not just some random kid." He didn't like hearing Alec mentioned as just some random kid. He was his kid, and nothing was going to change that._

 _"And_ he _found_ us _," Sam said._

 _Alec had fallen asleep again right after he'd finished eating. Dean hadn't minded; he wanted to make sure Alec was ok, and he needed his sleep. The little boy refused to leave his side, which he found really cute. He felt good knowing someone wanted to stick with him._

 _"Who's his Mom, and where is she?" Bobby asked. "Does she know where her kid is?"_

 _"That's where this gets a little complicated," Dean admitted. "He said he's my clone." He knew Alec was hiding something concerning him being his clone, but he didn't ask him that yet. He wanted to make sure Alec was comfortable telling him things, but first the little boy needed to get used to him. Alec had answered all of his questions, but he'd gone into greater detail on the easier questions, and had been shorter with the harder questions. He would just have to work his way up to really getting to know Alec._

 _"Your clone…" Bobby muttered._

 _"That's what he told us," Sam said._

 _"You do know kids lie, right?" Bobby asked._

 _That got him mad. He knew kids lied, but he also knew Alec was telling the truth. He was scared and desperate, but he'd never lied with anything he had told him. "He was shot," Dean said. "I dug a bullet out of him in the bathroom, his sides are bruised like someone's been beating him, and if you saw what he had been wearing and how dirty he was, you would believe him too."_

 _"Whatever his situation was before this, it was bad," Sam said. He hadn't known about the gunshot or the bruised sides; hearing that just made it even more clear that Alec needed to stay with them._

 _"So, you're keeping him," Bobby said to clarify._

 _Dean scowled, "Bobby, he's my kid! Of course I'm keeping him." He didn't like that that kept coming up as a question. Why wouldn't he keep him?_

 _"Alright, calm down," Bobby tried to placate. "I'm just checkin'." He walked over and sat down on the arm of the sofa, and then asked, "Now that we've got that cleared up, what're we gonna do about Lucifer?"_

 _He and Sam shared a look before Sam said, "We haven't really thought about it…"_

 _He knew Bobby was about to blow up so he cut in before he could. "We've been a little busy in case you haven't noticed. Yesterday I didn't have a kid and now I have a nine-year-old to take care of."_

 _"He's nine?" Sam asked. He must not have caught on that'd he'd already told him this. Sam was still adjusting to Alec, and so was he, but he'd already accepted that Alec was sticking around._

 _He chuckled, "Yeah, he said he's nine, but not an old nine. Just turned a couple weeks ago."_

 _Sam laughed, "He's a funny kid, isn't he?"_

 _"Well yeah, he's mine," Dean said. "Course he's funny."_

 _"Boys, what did Castiel say about Lucifer and the apocalypse?" Bobby asked to get them back on track._

 _Sam shook his head no, "Chuck said he blew up…"_

 _"That's no help…" Bobby muttered._

 _"We'll figure somethin' out," Dean said. Bobby gave him a funny look, but he didn't care. Alec snuggled against him, and he automatically ran his hand through his hair to comfort him. Alec settled again, and he smiled; the world might be ending, and it had seemed hopeless, but that was before Alec had come into his life. Now, he had a kid. He had someone who looked for him and wanted to stick with him. He had a reason to fight, a reason to try to beat the Devil so Alec could have a chance at life. He wasn't going to give up like he had wanted to on the plane, or even when he had found out that Cas was gone. He was going to fight, and somehow, they were going to win._

* * *

 _More soon?_


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm sorry for any confusion the first chapter caused! I'm terrible at summaries, but hopefully by the end of the first chapter things started to make sense. I think I forgot to mention that there would be flashbacks along with the present, but I try to put the year for when the flashback happens, especially since the flashbacks are out of order. This chapter there's a flashback from season 12, so I don't know if that helps with the confusion or not. If it doesn't, please let me know, and I'll try to come up with a better way! Hope you guys like it!_

* * *

Chapter 2

Present

"Jack, do you know how you got in the middle of the road?" Sam asked as Dean drove back to the motel. Neither of them knew what to do here even though they'd been in a similar situation 8 years ago. But it had been a lot easier to get information out of Alec. His nephew liked to talk and he had been trying to get them to like him since he had been afraid they were going to kick him out, so he told them everything. Jack really seemed to just not know the answers to the questions they were asking him.

"I'm not sure," Jack said slowly.

"Were you lost? Or maybe camping?" Sam asked, trying to find a reasonable explanation for how this kid got in the middle of nowhere while he wasn't wearing any clothes.

"Camping?" Jack asked.

"You know, staying outside and pretending you're homeless," Alec mumbled. His eyes were closed and he was leaning against the door, but he was still refusing to fall asleep. "Also known as the worst thing in the world." Ben was sitting in the middle, keeping a concerned eye on Alec and a curious one on Jack.

Jack looked at Alec in confusion, but his nephew didn't bother opening his eyes. Even just getting up and walking around was enough to wear him out, and he'd pushed too far to try to prove he was ok.

"I don't think I was camping," Jack said.

"Do you think you hit your head? Maybe that's why you can't remember?" Sam asked.

"Sam, drop it," Dean said. "He doesn't know so you're wasting your time." The questions were driving him nuts since they weren't getting any answers. He wasn't very patient, especially since he didn't know what was going on.

"How're we going to figure this out if he doesn't know?" Sam asked.

"We'll try Cas again and see if he'll pick up this time," Dean muttered.

"If he doesn't, then we should call Crowley," Sam said. "He was going to meet us up here anyway, and he should be able to find them."

"The house where they were supposed to be blew up. It was in the middle of that blast, so there's no tellin' where any of them are," Dean said. "You think Cas knew we were coming and left? Maybe they got out before the place blew up…"

"Or Kelly had the baby and Cas took off with it," Sam said. "They could still be alive."

"Either way we missed them," Dean said.

"We should have flown," Sam said. "It took too long to get here from the bunker."

"You know how I feel about flying and we went too fast as it is," Dean said, glancing back at Alec.

"I'm fine," Alec said, knowing Dad was looking at him. His family worried too much; he knew he'd scared them, but he didn't need all the babying. He was worn out, but that didn't mean he was out of the fight.

"Still, I'd feel better if you'd take it easy for a few more days," Dean said.

"Just call Crowley. It'll take him a few days to find anything," Alec muttered. He knew his Dad wasn't going to drop this. He'd gotten his way earlier by arguing until his Dad had caved, but he knew that wasn't going to keep working.

Dean parked outside their motel room, and Sam watched as he went around to help Alec out of the car. Ben hovered close by to make sure his brother really was ok. Alec was pretending to be fine, but he, Dean, and Ben knew better. Dean was still limping pretty badly from blowing a hole in the bunker, but he knew Dean would refuse to let him help him. He wouldn't even let him help Alec or Ben most of the time.

He watched to make sure Dean and Alec got inside ok before he turned to face Jack. "C'mon, let's go inside and we'll order some pizza or something." Jack followed him inside, but looked around the room like he didn't know what to do. "Um, just have a seat and make yourself comfortable," Sam said.

He wanted to get some ice for Dean and make sure Alec was actually going to sleep before he called Mom and told her they were back. She had stayed in town to ask the locals if they knew anything about the blast or if they had seen anything strange the past few days while they searched where the blast happened.

"Dad, I'm fine," Alec said as Dean tried to tuck him in.

"Humor me," Dean said, fluffing his pillows. He couldn't lose his boys. He'd come too close more than once and he couldn't handle it. But he couldn't keep them out of the fight either. Every time he tried to keep them safe, something else would happen or they would sneak around behind his back. At least if he let them come with him, he could try to watch out for them.

"Only if you promise to sit down and ice your knee," Alec bargained.

"Fine, as long as you eat some soup," Dean countered with a smirk.

Alec scowled, but said, "Fine."

Sam smiled and shook his head in amusement. He couldn't believe he'd almost lost this just a few days ago. If Alec had died, everything would have fallen apart. They would have lost Ben too since Ben and Alec could barely function without the other, and Dean would do anything to get Alec back. He was just relieved his nephew pulled through, even though it had seemed hopeless.

He made some soup and got Dean some ice before he called his Mom.

"Sam?" Mom answered after a couple rings. It was still weird for him to talk to his Mom. He hadn't known her at all, had only seen pictures of her and had only heard a few stories from Dean. He wanted to know her for real, but he didn't want to scare her off again.

"We're back," Sam said. "Me and Alec didn't find anything, but Dean picked up a kid."

"A kid?" Mom asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he looks about Alec and Ben's age, but it's like he doesn't remember hardly anything," Sam said.

"Ok, I'm on my way back," Mom said. "Um…does Alec need anything?"

"No, he's alright," Sam said. "Dean's got it covered." Besides, at this point, Dean would hardly let their Mom near Alec or Ben. Dean was trying not to blame her for what had happened, but it was hard to forget when Alec still flinched if Mary got too close to him. They were all trying to get over it, but it was going to take some time. It was just good that Alec had pulled through, otherwise, he wouldn't have any family left.

* * *

 _2017_

 _They were going to make it. He had Ketch held at gunpoint, while Sam had Lady Bevell, and Alec and Ben were out of the bunker, so they were safe. All he had to do was get Ketch to tell him where his Mom was, and they'd be good._

 _"Alright Ketch, how many more guys are in here? Our Mom, where is she?" Ketch started to move out of his hold, but he forced him back and ordered, "Don't move."_

 _"Ah, speak of the devil," Ketch said, looking to the doorway behind Sam._

 _Sam barely glanced over his shoulder, "Perfect timing, Mom."_

 _"Just stay where you are," Mom said, rounding the corner with her gun raised in one hand. His heart dropped though when she yanked Alec into the room by the collar of his shirt. He was pale and blood was staining his shirt, and he was barely staying upright; Mom was the only thing keeping him on his feet. "Get in here," Mom ordered. Ben limped in after a moment, bloody and bruised just like his brother, but his wrists were tied together while Alec's weren't._

 _"Found your Mom," Alec quipped, but his voice was weak. He was trying to reassure his Dad that he was ok, but he knew Dad would see through his attempt at being funny. His side burned and he knew he wouldn't be standing if Mary wasn't holding him up, but he was relieved to be back at the bunker. If he was going to die, he wanted to be with his family._

 _Dean immediately started for his boys, forgetting all about Ketch. His boys were hurt, and he needed to fix this. But Mom fired at him, hitting the pillar beside him to make him freeze. "Don't move," Mom said._

 _"Mom?" Sam asked._

 _"Mary's with us now," Ketch said. "Just did a little reprogramming is all. She was confused about obeying orders, but that's been cleared up now."_

 _Ketch pulled out of his hold, and he let him. He couldn't do anything now; Alec and Ben were hurt and Mom was with the Brits. He didn't know what had happened, but he would find a way to fix it._

 _Ketch started up the stairs and Lady Bevell moved to follow him. He stopped though and pointed his gun at her._

 _"For heaven's sake, where do you think you're going, Ketch?" Lady Bevell asked._

 _"Remember at Kendricks, how they taught us we were all expendable? That wasn't idle chat," Ketch said with a smile as he walked up the stairs._

 _His chest tightened in panic when Mom followed Ketch up the metal stairs. Alec stumbled behind her, but she yanked hard on his shirt and forced him to keep moving until they were at the top of the stairs. Ben started to move to follow, but she pointed her gun at him and ordered, "You stay." Ben did as he was told, but his eyes were locked on his brother._

 _"Mom!" Dean yell, trying to get her attention. She couldn't go with Ketch and she definitely couldn't take Alec with her._

 _"Your bunker is an excellent fortress," Ketch said, pretending not to hear him. "An even better tomb." He started for the stairs, but Mom pressed against Alec's side making him cry out in pain, and him freeze. "So, we've rejiggered the locks, we've shut off the water, and once we leave, the pumps that bring in the air shall reverse," Ketch said. "Your oxygen should be gone in two days, maybe three. You dying in here…it's almost poetic, hmm?" Ketch looked to his Mom and said, "Come along, Mary. But leave that here. He's too much like them to be of any use, and he doesn't have much time left anyway."_

 _Mom released Alec, who fell in a heap, before she followed Ketch out the door._

 _Dean ran, taking the steps two at a time, but he was too late to get there before the door shut. He dropped to his knees next to Alec though and carefully turned him from his side, to his back. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow, but at least he was still breathing. He had just passed out from the pain. Ben and Sam quickly made their way up to him and Alec, dropping down on his other side._

 _He ran his hand through Alec's hair, "Alec, can you hear me, kiddo?"_

 _"Where's he hurt?" Sam asked, scanning Alec's side to try to find the source of the blood._

 _"I'm not sure…there's too much blood," Dean said. He tapped Alec's cheek as Sam carefully lifted Alec's blood-soaked shirt. "C'mon kiddo…"_

 _"He was shot," Ben said, his voice heavy with pain. "Left side…hit a couple ribs I think…" His ankle was killing him after running up the stairs, but he had to get to his brother. He hated seeing Alec hurt, but he knew his Dad could fix this. Alec had been shot before, but he knew it had never been this bad._

 _Sam slid his hand under Alec's back, and then said, "No exit wound."_

 _"Dammit," Dean growled. "Alright, we gotta get the bullet out and we should do it while he's still unconscious." Maybe he could save his boy some pain if they could get the bullet out before he came back around. He knew his youngest usually didn't cooperate, but he could still hope._

 _"Do you want to move him now, or once we're done?" Sam asked._

 _"Once we're done," Dean said. Sam nodded and quickly went down the stairs to get what they would need. He put his hands against Alec's wound to try to stop the blood from leaking out of his boy. "Ben, you ok? You're bleeding too…"_

 _"It's mostly Alec's blood," Ben said. He felt sick knowing Alec's blood was all over him, but he'd tried his hardest to keep his little brother alive while Mary drove them to the bunker. He'd wanted to try to escape with Alec, but he knew this was the best way to get Alec help._

 _"I'm gonna look you over as soon as I get your brother patched up, ok?" Dean asked. Ben swallowed hard, but nodded. Ben was being brave, keeping calm when he knew his boy was freaking out on the inside. Ben and Alec hadn't had a great start, but they'd been inseparable ever since. Ben couldn't lose Alec and neither could he._

 _"It's not going to work," Lady Bevell said from the bottom of the stairs. Her arms were crossed and she was scowling up at him._

 _"Shut up," Dean shot back. He didn't want to hear what she had to say, and if Alec wasn't hurt right now, then she would already be dead._

 _"He's still going to die," Lady Bevell continued, ignoring him. "We poison our bullets, so even on the rare occasion when we miss the heart, the target still dies."_

 _It was his turn to ignore her; she was a liar and what she said couldn't be true. They were going to get the bullet out of Alec, and he was going to be fine. Well, he would be fine as long as they found a way to get out of there. "If that's true, then how come Sam's still alive?" Dean asked. Lady Bevell had shot Sam, but he was fine._

 _"I gave Sam the antidote," Lady Bevell said like it was obvious._

 _"You hold him down, and I'll get it out," Sam said once he came back._

 _"No, I'll do it," Dean immediately argued._

 _He reached for the supplies, but Sam pulled away. "If he wakes up, then he's only gonna want to talk to you or Ben. Let's just make this easy, ok?" He still wanted to argue; he knew Sam could get the bullet out, but he was still afraid something would happen. He couldn't lose Alec; he'd only had him for 8 years and it wasn't enough. "Hey, he's gonna be alright," Sam said, seeing the look on his face. "We just gotta get the bullet out, and then find a way to open the doors again."_

 _"Piece of cake," Dean muttered._

 _"Just keep him calm, ok? Ben, you keep him calm too, ok?" Sam said, holding a knife to Alec's skin._

 _He nodded and focused on Alec's face. He knew exactly when Sam started to get the bullet out because Alec winced in pain and slowly started to come back. He had to tighten his hold when Alec tried to get away, but luckily Alec relaxed just a little bit when his eyes landed on him._

 _"Hey kiddo," Dean whispered._

 _"Dad?" Alec asked. Everything was ok; Dad was with him, and so was Ben and Uncle Sam. He was with his family. Everything was ok as long as he was with his family._

 _"Yeah, you're here with me and Sam and Ben," Dean reassured. Alec gasped, and then clenched his jaw against the pain. "Hey, easy, you're alright," Dean murmured. "Sam's getting the bullet out, ok?" Alec's breaths were short and shallow, but he did nod, so that was a good sign. "How'd you get shot? I thought I told you two if it was too dangerous, then you needed to take off and get your asses back here."_

 _"We found Mary…It was almost too easy…" Alec said. "She shot me…"_

 _"Mary shot you?" Dean asked, his eyes wide. His Mom didn't really understand how he could have a kid, let alone twins, when he was supposed to still be her kid, and she definitely wasn't feeling like Alec and Ben's grandma, but he never thought she would shoot Alec._

 _Alec nodded, "She came outta nowhere…actually snuck up on me…"_

 _"Mary's been reprogrammed," Lady Bevell said. "I reprogrammed her myself so she would hunt down American hunters. She was supposed to kill him, but something must have stopped her."_

 _"Ben stopped her," Alec breathed out. "He jumped her right when she fired, which is why I'm still alive…at least for now."_

 _He looked to Ben and saw the haunted look in his eyes. It had been even closer than how Alec had described it. He could hardly believe that his Mom had shot his son, but he believed his boys when they told him something._

 _Alec took in a sharp breath, so he glanced back at Sam and asked, "How much longer?"_

 _"I've almost got it," Sam said._

 _"This is a waste of time," Lady Bevell breathed out._

 _"Ignore her," Dean said to Alec. "Once we get you patched up, she's gone."_

 _"Good," Alec said. He'd hated the Brits before because his Dad didn't like them, but now he really just hated them._

 _"If we ever get out of here, I am the one who programmed your mother, which means that I am the only one who can undo it. And since I assume you want Mummy back, you need me," Lady Bevell said._

 _"You believe her?" Sam asked him._

 _"I don't know…" He muttered back._

 _"Look, if she's lying, sure, we take her out. But Mom is still out there, brainwashed. If she's telling the truth, then we do need her," Sam reasoned._

 _Dean sighed, but he nodded, and then asked, "Alright, you're so smart, how do we get out of here?"_

 _"The only way out is to pull the manual override," Lady Bevell said in her know-it-all voice._

 _"Is that a thing?" Sam asked._

 _"Oh, it is," Lady Bevell reassured. "But it's outside the bunker, where we can't reach it._

 _"Awesome," Dean breathed out._

 _Alec suddenly cried out in pain and his back arched off of the ground. "Dean!" Sam yelled. He pushed Alec back to the ground and held him there, putting his forearm on Alec's chest and pressing. He didn't want to do this, but Alec was going to hurt himself more if he moved now. "Alright, I've got it," Sam finally said._

 _Alec went limp suddenly, passing out from the pain. "You just had to wait until the end to pass out…" Dean said under his breath. He brushed Alec's hair back from his forehead and waited for Sam to stitch Alec up and wrap his side._

 _"Where're we gonna set him up at?" Sam asked._

 _"Let's move either one of the sofas or one of the beds in here so we can keep an eye on him while we find a way outta here," Dean said._

 _Sam nodded, "I'll get it set up." He patted Alec's chest before he stood up and went back down the stairs. Sam came back after a moment though, and gave him a change of clothes for Alec._

 _He stayed with Alec and got him into new clothes while Sam moved a sofa into the main room._

 _"Ok Ben, c'mere," Dean said. He felt guilt crash into him seeing Ben's hands were still tied together. Everyone had been so focused on Alec, no one even bothered to cut him free. He grabbed his knife from his pocket and quickly cut the zip tie keeping his boy's hands together._

 _"Dad, I'm ok," Ben said. "I'm just worried about Alec."_

 _"Alec's gonna be ok," Dean tried to reassure. He gently gripped his son's chin and turned his head so he could get a good look at the dark bruise forming on his cheek. "Where else are you hurt?" Dean asked._

 _"Just some bruised ribs and a sprained ankle," Ben said. "It'll be fine in a day or two." He'd be fine as long as Alec was fine. He'd been terrified that he was too late when Mary fired. Alec had dropped and he just prayed that the bullet hadn't hit his heart._

 _Dean took a deep breath and nodded; he could generally take Ben's word for it when it came to his injuries, it was Alec that he had to check behind. He was still going to do a better check once they got Alec situated._

 _"Dean," Sam called out to get his attention. He glanced down at his brother, and he nodded back, saying he was ready so he carefully picked Alec up and took him down._

 _Alec had grown quite a bit in 8 years, but he was still a kid, and he'd always be his kid. He kind of knew the opposite of how Mom felt. She knew him as a baby and until he was four, but then she had missed most of his life. He'd only gotten Alec when he was 9, so he'd missed the beginning of Alec's life. He'd never gotten to hold Alec as a baby, or see his first steps, or hear his first words, and he felt like those were pretty big things to miss._

 _Alec had grown up so fast in the 8 years, and he just wanted time to slow down, especially now that their time was almost up._

 _"Dean, we'll find a way out of here," Sam said, coming back with Alec's pillow and a couple of blankets. He passed him the pillow so he could put it under Alec's head while he tucked the blankets around him. "You know, we're in a bunker full of spells, curses, magic…there's gotta be something in here that we could use."_

 _Dean nodded; he made sure Alec was comfortable before he looked to Ben. He was just about to tell his son to watch out for his brother, but he didn't have to. Ben was settling in on the other side of the sofa, ready to watch over Alec._

 _"I'll tell you when he wakes up," Ben said._

 _He patted his son's shoulder and said, "Thanks Ben."_

* * *

 _"Magic won't work," Lady Bevell said when their spell suddenly quit._

 _Dean stood up and walked away from the table. He was tired of researching; it wasn't getting them anywhere and they were running out of time. He walked over to where Alec was sleeping on the sofa and put his hand on his forehead._

 _He frowned when he felt how hot Alec was. He figured Alec would have a fever since he was trying to heal, but he felt way too hot. "Alec, can you wake up for me?" Dean asked, crouching down beside him. Ben frowned, sitting up more to see what was going on._

 _"Dad?" Alec asked in confusion. He didn't feel good; he was expecting to feel weak and sore, but something was wrong. His side felt like it was still on fire even though they'd gotten the bullet out and he felt sick. He should have started to recover since he healed faster than his Dad and Uncle, but he knew he had just gotten worse._

 _"Hey kiddo," Dean said with a small smile. "How ya feelin'?"_

 _"Not good…" Alec breathed out._

 _That wasn't right; with the bullet out, Alec should be feeling at least a little better. He wouldn't be back to normal for a long time, especially since he'd lost so much blood, but usually Alec at least pretended he was ok. "I'm gonna check you over, ok?" Dean asked softly. "See if you've got an infection…"_

 _"I don't get infections…" Alec replied, but his voice didn't have any strength to it._

 _"I know, but you've got a pretty bad fever," Dean said._

 _"Dean," Sam said, drawing his attention. "What's going on?"_

 _"He's got a fever," Dean said._

 _"He usually has a fever after he gets hurt," Sam said as he walked over to them. He reached out and put his hand on Alec's forehead, but then amended, "But not usually that high…"_

 _Dean moved the blankets down and his t-shirt up, but he immediately knew something was wrong. Black lines covered Alec's skin, sort of like he had blood poisoning. He and Sam shared a worried look, neither of them knowing what to do._

 _"It's the poison," Lady Bevell unhelpfully supplied._

 _Dean stood up and stormed over to her and demanded, "Fix him!"_

 _She took a step back from him and held her hands up. "I can't. I don't have the antidote and magic won't work until we override the system."_

 _"How long does he have?" Dean growled. She didn't answer so he yelled, "How long!"_

 _"He'll die before we do," she answered. "And with where he was shot…it'll be faster than most."_

 _"How do we keep him alive long enough to get out of here?" Dean asked desperately. Panic tightened his chest, but he had to keep it together. His boys needed him._

 _"Does this place have an infirmary?" She asked._

 _"Why?" Sam asked._

 _"The best way to keep him alive is to put him on life support. Second to that would be to intubate and bag him so we could force him to keep breathing," she said. "But if the poison reaches his heart, then it's over."_

 _He looked over at Alec; he was afraid to lose him, but he didn't know if that's what they should do. But his decision was made a moment later when Alec started seizing._

* * *

 _Dean sat frozen at Alec's bedside. A tube was down his throat and a heart monitor kept track of his weak heartbeat. He had no idea they even had all this stuff; he knew they had an infirmary, but he'd never really looked in it. And luckily, Lady Bevell knew how to use it._

 _He had picked Alec up and carried him to the infirmary as fast as he could as soon as the seizure was over. He didn't know how long he had left, but it might not matter anyway since none of them had much time left. The air was already getting thinner, and pretty soon they wouldn't be able to do anything since they wouldn't be able to breathe._

 _Ben sat beside him, holding Alec's hand. He was in shock; Alec had been hurt before, but never this close to dying. He would lose both of them if Alec died._

 _"Dean, we have to try to break through. We have to do something," Sam said, interrupting the silence._

 _"I can't leave him," Dean whispered. "What if-what if he dies while I'm gone?" He couldn't lose his youngest, but if he left and Alec died while he was gone…He didn't know what he would do._

 _"He's not going to die because we're getting out of here," Sam said. "Get up. Lady Bevell is going to stay with them." Ben was in no shape to react if Alec needed him, so it made since that Lady Bevell would stay with them. He didn't trust her, but she needed out just as much as they did. And she probably knew if Alec died on her watch, then they would come for her, whether she could fix their Mom or not._

 _He grabbed Alec's limp hand that Ben wasn't holding and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Don't you dare die on me, ok? I don't know what we'd do without you."_

 _Sam had to pretty much force him out of the room, and he was distracted the entire time they were trying to bust through the wall. He almost didn't realize Sam had stopped until his brother barely touched his shoulder. They had been working for hours, but they barely had anything to show for it. There were chunks of concrete littering the floor, but there was barely a hole in the wall. It would take days to bust through, but they didn't have days. They were trapped there, and they were going to die. They both knew it._

 _"Is this how you pictured it? The end?" Sam asked after a moment. They were sitting side by side, maybe for the last time._

 _"You know it's not," Dean replied. All he wanted to do was go back to his boys. He wanted to spend whatever time they had left together as a family._

 _"Yeah…blaze of glory," Sam said._

 _"Blaze of glory," Dean agreed with a small smile. He stopped though, finally coming up with a way to get out of there. "Son of a bitch…"_

* * *

 _Alec choked and gagged as the magic finally removed the poison from his system. Lady Bevell quickly, but carefully removed the tube from his throat and he turned and threw up on the floor. He grabbed Alec as soon as he was done throwing up and hugged him close._

 _"Dad…'m alright…" Alec tried to reassure. Ben's arms wrapped around Alec too, and neither of them were planning on letting go any time soon._

 _"We almost lost you," Dean whispered. He didn't know what he would do without Alec._

 _"I've been shot before…" Alec breathed out. He knew that wasn't going to reassure his Dad or his brother, but he wanted them to try to relax some. It would probably help if he could speak above a whisper, but he still felt really weak. His side wasn't on fire anymore and he didn't feel like he was dying, so he knew his family had saved him._

 _"Not like that," Dean argued._

 _"What happened to your knee?" Alec asked. He was leaning against him, unable to hold himself up, but he was still more worried about others than he was himself. He was probably trying to distract them too, since he could only handle so much concern at one time._

 _His knee was bloody though from the explosion; Sam had wrapped it, but he was already bleeding through the bandage. He probably needed to go to the hospital to get it looked at, but he had bigger things to worry about right now. "I finally got to use the grenade launcher," Dean said for a simple explanation for now. He'd tell everything to his boys later, after Alec had some rest._

 _"Without me?" Alec asked with a tired smile._

 _"We'll blow something else up another time," Dean promised, kissing the side of Alec's head._

 _"Dean, we gotta go!" Sam yelled from another room._

 _"You ok to move?" Dean asked him. "If not, then we'll stay here." He wasn't planning on leaving his boys anytime soon. If they weren't good to travel, then he would let Sam handle whatever new crisis had popped up and he would stay with the twins._

 _"I'm alright," Alec whispered. He knew Dad would stay with him if he told the truth, but he'd be worried about Uncle Sam the entire time. Besides, he didn't want to split up from his family after almost losing them._

 _"Ok, Sam's gonna carry you, and then you can sleep all the way to wherever we're goin'," Dean said._

 _Sam ran in and made sure Alec was ok before he picked him up. He would normally be the one to take care of Alec, but since his knee was messed up he couldn't. And usually Alec would argue about being carried, so this told him his son was still hurting but he was trying not to show it. Whatever was going on, Alec wasn't going to be part of it._

 _"Where're we going?" Dean asked, slowly getting into the passenger seat. He couldn't drive because of his knee, and this way he could keep an eye on his boys. Alec was lying across the backseat, resting his head on Ben's lap. He knew they would be ok, but he felt better being able to check on them._

 _"Jody's. She called and said it was urgent," Sam said._

* * *

Present

"Hello boys," Crowley said, appearing right behind Sam.

His brother jumped about a foot in the air before he turned and glared at Crowley. "Stop doing that!" Sam demanded.

"You called me, remember Moose?" Crowley smoothly replied.

Jack gasped at Crowley's sudden appearance, so he quickly reassured, "It's ok, Jack. This is Crowley. He's a demon and a douche, but maybe he can find Cas."

"Underline douche," Alec threw in from the bed. He'd woken up a few minutes ago, so he was still under the covers, just sitting up with his elbows resting on his knees. Dean was just glad he was still on the bed. Ben was sitting on the bed next to Alec, making sure his brother stayed where he was.

"So lovely to see you too," Crowley grumbled under his breath. Then louder he pointed out, "And I'm the King of Hell, not just a demon."

Jack still looked confused, so he said, "Don't worry about it. We'll explain it to you later."

"Do you know where Cas is?" Sam asked. "We checked where the house used to be, but it's completely destroyed."

"There was no sign of any of them or where they could've gone," Dean said. That was the part that was bugging him the most. They all just disappeared and there was no clue where they could have gone. He just wanted some real answers.

"And we haven't heard anything about Lucifer for a while," Ben said. He didn't really care about all of this; he just wanted to make sure his brother was ok. But he knew Dad and Uncle Sam would worry about this until they got some answers, so it would be better to just figure everything out. Alec wouldn't really rest either until they knew what was going on, so it would be a win on both sides to figure it out.

"And now you want me to find them," Crowley guessed.

"Yeah, and try to figure out what caused a blast that destroyed the house they were in," Dean said.

Crowley rolled his eyes, "And suddenly I'm the new errand boy."

"What do you want?" Dean grumbled, knowing that Crowley was stalling for a reason. The demon usually wanted something in return, and he was willing to bargain if it meant he would get the answers he wanted.

"Let's say I find one of the three," Crowley said slowly. "What would I get?"

"How 'bout we don't kill you if you help us," Dean replied. He was still itching to kill Crowley. The demon had crossed the line years ago, but he had to admit he had his uses. Some day he would get his chance.

"You know you can't kill me, Squirrel. I'm practically family," Crowley said with a smile.

"One favor," Sam said. "We'll give you one favor, an IOU, when you need one."

"I'll draw up the papers," Crowley said happily. He and Sam both groaned, but Crowley snapped his fingers and a roll of paper appeared in his hands.

"Sam, you read it this time…" Dean muttered, going over to sit by Alec again. Jack looked to him before he got up and sat by him. He'd been doing that for a while now, following either him or Sam around the room and watching their every move. It was annoying, but the kid hadn't listened to him when he told him to stop.

Sam sighed, but started over to Crowley to read the contract.

"Where's Mary?" Alec asked softly after a few minutes.

"She should be comin' back soon," Dean said. "You want her to pick something up while she's out?"

"No, I'm just curious," Alec quickly refused. Alec had been avoiding Mary, and she had been avoiding him too, which was to be expected. He just wished he could've changed what had happened. Even before Mary had shot Alec, they'd been a little wary of each other.

"Alec, she was brainwashed when she shot you," Dean said. "She would've never done that-"

"Dad, she hates me…she hates us" Alec interrupted, pointing to himself and his brother. "She can't even look at us."

He gave Alec a sad smile and ran his hand through his hair, "She doesn't hate you. She's just getting used to you, that's all."

"You've said that before, and she's still not used to me," Alec muttered. He was used to how the angels treated him and his brother, but it was more personal since Mary was supposed to be family.

"Well, who cares what she thinks, right? You've got me and Sammy and Ben, and we're not gonna leave ya," Dean said. Alec finally smiled a little and nodded. "How's your side feeling?"

Alec shrugged, "It's alright. Still sore, but it's finally starting to heal."

"Who's Mary?" Jack suddenly asked.

Alec actually jumped, having forgotten that Jack was sitting next to him. He rubbed Alec's back before he said, "Mary's mine and Sam's Mom."

"And you're Alec's father?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Dean answered as patiently as he could. "I'm Alec and Ben's father. My boys are twins, which is why they look alike."

"And Sam…"

"Sam's my brother and the boys' Uncle," Dean said.

Jack nodded, but Sam spoke before he could ask anything else. "Everything looks good to me. I can't find any loopholes, but that doesn't mean they aren't there," Sam said.

"Do you want me to read it?" Ben asked, looking up from his book. "I might be able to find something…"

"It's alright," Dean muttered. "Crowley's gonna rope us into doin' something anyway…Go ahead and sign it."

"I'll need both of you to sign," Crowley said. "For legal reasons, of course." He rolled his eyes as he got up, but he signed where he was told to. As long as this got Crowley to do something useful, then maybe it would be alright. Crowley smiled and snapped his fingers once they had both signed, and the contract disappeared. "Now that that's been taken care of…the Nephilim is right there," Crowley said.

Dean frowned and shared a look of confusion with Sam; if the Nephilim was there, they would know. But Crowley smirked and looked at Jack. He turned his head so fast to look at Jack, he almost got whiplash. "Seriously? You think Jack's the Nephilim?" Dean asked sarcastically. "You do know that Kelly just had the thing, right? This kid's like what? 18 or 19?" He looked over at Jack and asked, "Kid, how old are you?" Jack just looked back at him, and he huffed in annoyance. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. This kid is not the Nephilim."

"I assure you, he is," Crowley said. "And that will be one favor from each of you when the time arises."

"Wait, no, it's just one favor period," Sam corrected.

"No, it's one favor from each," Crowley said. "If you would have read the fine print it said, 'one favor from each that signs,' and since you both signed, I get one favor from each of you."

"That was only if you actually found the Nephilim, or Cas, or Lucifer, but you haven't yet," Dean argued. "So you better get to it."

"That is the Nephilim," Crowley stated. "You don't have to believe me, but the contract is binding whether you believe me or not."

"How could Jack be the Nephilim?" Sam asked.

"What do you think caused that blast where the house was?" Crowley asked. He and Sam shared another look, and Crowley sighed, "While you two try to work your tiny brains around this, I have things to do. I'll be in touch."

"Crowley!" Dean yelled, but the demon was already gone.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	3. Chapter 3

_This chapter has two flashbacks, both from season five, but they are still out of order. Hope you all like it!_

* * *

Chapter 3

 _2010_

 _Dean gasped as he came back to life, and Sam did the same beside him._

 _"Alec…" Dean breathed out, looking around the room for his little boy. He had to make sure he was ok before he even thought about everything that had happened. God was gone; they were alone in fighting against Lucifer and against Zachariah and his scheme to start the apocalypse by using them. But none of that mattered. He didn't know what had happened to Alec after Roy and Walt shot him and Sam._

 _He stood up, and Sam did too, so they could find Alec. He just prayed Alec got away without getting hurt, but he didn't know. He had to check the entire room before he went outside and looked for him. He went to the bathroom and froze when he saw Roy and Walt dead on the floor. It looked like Roy's neck was broken, and Walt had a shotgun blast through him with blood puddling around him._

 _He took a slow step around the bodies to get further into the bathroom. He pushed aside the shower curtain and breathed out in relief when he saw Alec. He was curled up in a ball in the tub, silently crying into his hands._

 _"Alec," Dean breathed out in relief._

 _Alec's head popped up and he gasped in surprise. "Dad?" It just slipped out, but he couldn't help it. Dean was his Dad and he was tired of waiting for his Dad to be ok with it. He'd already lost his Dad once, he wasn't going to wait anymore._

 _He nearly froze when Alec called him that, but he quickly recovered and gave his boy a reassuring smile, "Yeah kiddo, it's me." Alec immediately stood up and reached for him. He didn't hesitate at all in picking up the little boy and holding him close. Alec cried against his neck, so he rubbed his back and soothed, "It's alright, everything's alright." He turned for a second and called out to Sam, "I found him!"_

 _"Y-you died! I saw y-you d-die!" Alec sobbed in distress. He hadn't known what to do. He only had his Dad and Uncle. The only thing he could do was stay in the tub and sob. He'd lost everything._

 _"I know kiddo, I'm sorry," Dean replied. Alec had handled everything they had thrown at him so far; he was only a little freaked out by the demons, but he'd handled angles, ghosts, and even gods, but this was too much. He'd watch him and Sam die, and now they were both back, and he knew that didn't seem possible._

 _"Is he ok?" Sam asked as he ran in._

 _Fresh tears fell and hit his shoulder, but he nodded to Sam, "I think so…he's just freaked out."_

 _Sam's eyes widened when he spotted the bodies of the two hunters that had killed them. "Let's grab our stuff and get out of here," Sam suggested._

 _"Sam, we've gotta change," Dean said, stopping his brother from taking off. "We're covered in blood and we've gotta get rid of these bodies…"_

 _He started to head out of the bathroom, but Alec's grip on him tightened and he yelled, "No! No Dad!" Out there it was bad. That was where his Dad had died. If this was just some crazy hallucination, then he didn't want it to end. He wanted his Dad to still be with him._

 _"Ok, ok, we'll stay in here," Dean said. He looked up at Sam and said, "Clear the beds and change, and then bring me some clothes to change into." Sam left the room, so he turned back to Alec and kissed the side of his head. "It's ok, Alec."_

 _Alec was still crying, and he didn't know what to do. And Alec had called him Dad, which scared the shit out of him. He was Alec's Dad, but Alec had been calling him Dean, so it hadn't really sunk in. But with Alec calling him Dad, it really hit him that this was real. Alec really was his._

 _He'd been terrified when he saw Roy and Walt holding shotguns on him and Sam. He'd immediately looked for Alec since he always slept with him, but he wasn't in bed with him anymore. They'd shot Sam, but his main concern was if Alec was going to be ok. He knew he was going to die, but then Alec would be alone._

 _"Alec, can you tell me what happened?" Dean asked softly._

 _"I-I had to go to the b-bathroom…and-and then I h-heard a gunshot and Uncle S-sam was d-dead…and-and then you g-got shot too," Alec said between his sobs. "I-I didn't know w-what to do…and-and then they came in h-here and I-I k-killed them…"_

 _"I'm so sorry, Alec," Dean whispered, holding Alec closer. "I'm so, so sorry." He didn't know how to make this better, or if he even could. This was too much to put on his little boy._

 _"Dean, here's some clothes," Sam said, walking back in._

 _He started to put Alec down, but he freaked out. "No! No, no, no, please!" Alec begged. He held on tighter and refused to let go. "Please don't let go."_

 _"Alec, I'm not going anywhere," Dean reassured. "But I gotta change so we can leave."_

 _"No Dad," Alec whispered. Silent tears started falling again; he didn't know what to do or how to make this better._

 _"Hey, me and Sammy are hard to kill," Dean said. "I'm not gonna leave you if I can help it, ok?" He didn't ever want to leave Alec. His little boy counted on him even though he acted like he was tough shit sometimes. Alec was just a little kid and he should've never been put through this._

 _"Ok…"_

 _"Can I put you down now?" Dean asked. He had to change and they needed to leave, but he would only put Alec down if he let him. He wasn't going to force Alec to do anything._

 _"No," Alec said. He snuggled against his neck, and then barely whispered, "What happened when you died?"_

 _"We went to heaven," Dean answered honestly. He'd made the decision a while ago that he wasn't going to lie to Alec. He'd been lied to his whole life, that's why he didn't trust adults easily, so he wasn't going to add to that._

 _"Was it nice?" Alec asked with a hiccup._

 _"I'd rather stay on earth," Dean hedged. He wasn't going to lie to Alec, but he also didn't want to tell Alec that heaven had been a little scary with the angels chasing them, and he'd worried about his little boy the entire time._

 _"Me too," Alec said._

 _He chuckled, "Yeah, I want you to stay on earth too."_

* * *

Present

"How can Jack be the Nephilim?" Mary asked after they explained what Crowley had said.

"He was a little vague on the details," Dean muttered, leaning against the counter. "And Jack…well, Jack's not really sure about anything." Jack looked over at him from the sofa, but he didn't say anything. He'd made the kid sit over there so he would stop following him around. He'd talked Alec and Ben into sitting on the sofa too so the kid wouldn't feel left out. Alec was happy to move since that meant he was free from the bed for a while, and Ben was still worried about Alec, so he didn't even have to really ask Ben to move.

"Dean," Sam said with a sigh from across the room.

He rolled his eyes and defended himself, "Well, it's true…"

"I thought the Nephilim was supposed to be a baby," Alec said. "He was just born, right? So, if Jack is supposed to be the Nephilim, then how did he grow up so fast?" He'd seen some weird things since he found Dad, but he'd never seen this. It didn't make any sense that Jack had just been born and now he was older than him and his brother. Even Amara had to be a kid for a while and had grown in stages; it looked like Jack had been born as a teenager and not as a baby. He knew Ben was having a hard time believing this too, but his brother was more worried about him than the Nephilim.

"Maybe he's got powers," Sam said. "Something had to cause the blast, so maybe he did it without knowing." It made sense to him. If Jack caused the blast and something happened to his mom, Lucifer, and Cas, maybe he grew up to protect himself. It was a survival instinct, but maybe he just didn't know how to control it.

"And his superpowers include bypassing puberty?" Dean asked sarcastically. Lame superpower in his opinion. He could've had a lot cooler superpower besides growing up in an instant.

"Well, we don't really know if Jack is the Nephilim," Mary pointed out. "Did Crowley say anything about Castiel? He would know, wouldn't he?"

"No, he didn't say anything about Cas, but he might still find something out," Sam said. He knew Crowley wouldn't stop looking for what happened to Lucifer. That was the one person who could take him down and steal his throne, so it was in his best interest to find Lucifer.

Dean ran his hand down his face and asked, "So, what do we do?"

"He could be a missing kid," Mary said. "We can't just leave with him."

"Unless he really is the Nephilim, then we have a problem," Dean said. Not only could Jack be a loose cannon, but once it was out that Jack was the Nephilim, then more than just Lucifer would be looking for him. He didn't want to bring more trouble on his family.

"Not if we teach him what's right and wrong," Sam argued. "He wouldn't be a problem if he was on our side. He might actually be able to help us."

"He could be the son of Lucifer, Sam!" Dean yelled, pushing off of the counter. That was dangerous. He could be evil, wanting the same thing as his father. He didn't even know why they were entertaining the idea. Except, a part of him did know why. It was because Jack was still a kid, technically. It didn't feel right condemning a kid that hadn't even done anything yet.

"We don't know that!" Sam yelled back.

"Boys," Mary said, cutting off their argument. "This isn't helping. We don't know if Jack is the Nephilim, but we'll figure something out later if he is. But right now, let's go to a diner to get something to eat, and then maybe one of us can go to the police station to see if there's any new missing persons."

He and Sam shared a look before he nodded, "Alright…"

* * *

"Alec, nothin' fried, ok?" Dean said as he scanned the menu. "I don't think your stomach can handle it yet…" He couldn't help hovering around his youngest even though he knew Alec was getting tired of it. He just wanted what was best for his kids.

"I'm sick of soup," Alec grumbled under his breath.

"You could get a grilled cheese," Dean said with a smirk.

"But that's on the kid's menu," Alec whined.

"Yeah, and you're a kid," Dean replied. Alec would always be a kid to him because he was _his_ kid. And because Alec still acted like a kid sometimes with his pranks, but he kept things lighthearted for all of them.

"The kid's menu is for 12 and under!" Alec exclaimed.

Dean chuckled and knocked into Alec's shoulder, "You can get a sandwich, just don't get fries, ok?"

"Fine…"

"What should I get?" Jack asked. He was sitting across from him, Alec, and Ben, while his Mom and Sam sat next to him. He was an earnest kid; he seemed to really want them to like him. It was hard not to like him, even if he was the son of Satan.

"Try a cheeseburger and some fries," Dean said, trying not to laugh.

"Seriously?" Alec asked. "That's just mean."

Sam and Mom both chuckled as he ruffled Alec's hair. "Don't worry, you'll be eatin' fried foods again in no time."

"What's a cheeseburger?" Jack asked.

"Just the best food on the planet," Dean said, but then amended, "Besides pie. Nothing beats pie."

"We should order some pie too," Alec said. Ben rolled his eyes at his brother, even though he agreed. He wasn't so much into fried foods as his brother and Dad were, but he could never say no to pie.

Dean laughed and bumped against Alec's shoulder again, "That's my boy."

They ordered after a few minutes, and then just waited for their food. He didn't know what they would do if Jack really was a Nephilim. He was starting to like the kid; he didn't act like he was the spawn of Satan, he just didn't know anything.

"So, Jack, do you remember anything from before Dean picked you up on the side of the road?" Mom asked.

Jack shook his head no, but then said, "I was in the middle of a clearing, but I decided to start walking."

"You don't remember how you got in the clearing?" Sam asked, and Jack shook his head no again.

"What about your parents?" Mom asked. "Do you remember anything about them?"

"I only remember a feeling," Jack said. "I think my mom loved me."

Sam gave Jack a small smile and nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure she did." If Jack was the Nephilim, then he knew Kelly loved him. She did everything she could to save him, so he knew it was the truth when he reassured Jack.

The waitress brought them their food, but Dean noticed Alec was only picking at his sandwich instead of actually eating it. He decided he'd get him a milkshake before they went back to the motel. He pretended that solid foods were ok, but he knew they weren't yet. He'd been trying to stick to soup, but Alec would only eat so much of it before he started complaining.

"Someone's watching us," Alec said after a minute. "They're at the bar…second one on the left." No matter how hurt he was, he couldn't ignore his training. The hair at the back of his neck was standing up at the sudden threat to them. He knew Ben was feeling the same thing since his brother tensed beside him, and his sharp eyes scanned the rest of the diner.

"Jack, don't look," Dean said when the kid immediately started turn to look.

"Got another one…booth by the window," Sam said. "Might be an angel…she's dressed in a gray pantsuit."

"Same with the guy at the bar," Ben said.

"Dammit…Is the door clear?" Dean asked. He needed a way out for the boys. Alec wasn't up for a fight and who knew what Jack was going to do. He was going to count on Ben to get the three of them out.

"For now," Mary said. "There's two more that just came in through the kitchen."

"Ben, get Alec and Jack outside and get to the car," Dean said. "If we're not out there in five minutes, take off."

"No, I'm staying," Alec instantly refused at the same time that Ben nodded and said, "Yes sir."

"Alec, that wasn't a suggestion," Dean growled.

"Dean, we don't have any angel blades on us," Sam said.

He was just about to reply when one of the angels walked over to them. The angel glared at Alec and Ben before he looked at Jack. He looked away after a moment, and then said, "We will be taking the Nephilim now. It does not belong here, and it's too dangerous to keep alive."

"No," Dean stated.

"Winchester, I don't think you understand," the angel said. "We already let you keep your abominations…we won't let you keep the Nephilim too."

"Excuse me?" Mary asked before he could say anything. "What did you say?"

"The abominations," the angel repeated. "We destroyed all the others like them, but we let the Winchesters keep those two, for sentimental purposes."

Her jaw clenched, but Alec reassured, "It's alright. It's nothin' we haven't heard before."

"Give us the Nephilim," the angel demanded.

He looked across the table to Sam, who nodded back to him. He slowly got up and nodded for Sam and Mary to get up too. He nudged Alec's shoulder and hoped his boy would listen to him. He knew Ben would do what he was told as long as Alec went along with it. If Alec decided not to listen, at least his brother would be around to help protect him. If Alec wasn't hurt right now, he would feel a lot better. But he wasn't going to let the angels have Jack, even though he was the spawn of Satan. "His name is Jack…" Dean said slowly. Then he moved before the angel had a chance to do anything. He slammed the guy's head against the table, and then threw him back, off of his feet.

He saw his Mom run to the closest fire alarm and pull down, causing the alarms to sound and for the sprinklers to go off, soaking everyone in the diner. People shouted in surprise and quickly ran to the door to try to avoid getting soaked, leaving just his family, Jack, and the angels.

Sam took down an angel that was after Ben, Alec, and Jack. Luckily, Alec did what he wanted him to do; he had followed Ben's lead as he grabbed Jack and was starting to head for the back door, away from the danger. He wanted to make sure they got out alright, but he had to fight off one of the angels before they made it to the door.

He knocked the angel down and grabbed her blade, stabbing her before she could do anything else. He looked for the boys again, wanting to make sure they were ok, but two of the angels had gotten through and Alec and Ben were fighting them back.

He started to run over to help, but another angel tackled him before he could. He saw Sam get thrown over the bar as he went down, and Mary was being held against the wall. He heard Alec cry out in pain, but he couldn't move. He was using all of his strength to hold off the angel blade heading for his chest.

The blade inched closer to him, barely poking his chest. Any further, and the blade would slice right through him, actually killing him this time instead of turning him into a demon.

He could feel the blade against his skin, poking a hole through his shirt and drawing a drop of blood. But just before the knife made it any further, a bright light blasted through the diner and everything seemed to freeze. The angles all stopped, and then at the same time all of their heads tipped back and their eyes shone blue before they tipped over, dead on the ground.

He breathed out in relief as soon as the angel blade fell away from him. He laid there for a second, just trying to bring his breathing back under control, but then his Mom was there. "You ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," Dean breathed out. He pushed himself up, knowing they didn't have time to relax. "We gotta get out of here."

"What happened? What took them all out?" Mary asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I have a guess…" Dean muttered, getting up the rest of the way.

"I'm alright," he heard Alec reassure Ben. His brother was next to him, checking him over even though he was trying to reassure him that he was fine. He knew his brother wouldn't be reassured though until he finished his check. He was just lucky Ben wasn't lifting up his shirt and checking his side. That would be embarrassing, and he'd have to slap his brother's hand away if he even thought about it. "Just got the wind knocked outta me…"

"Jack…you ok?" Sam asked. He and Mary both walked over to where the boys were sitting on the ground.

"I think so," Jack replied slowly.

"C'mon, we gotta go before anyone decides to come back in here," Dean said, reaching down to help Alec and Ben up. Sam got Jack up, and they quickly snuck out the back. Mary went around front to get the car, and they all piled in to get out of town as fast as they could.

"So, we know for sure Jack's with us now," Alec muttered from the back. He was stuck in the middle in between Mom and Jack, but so far he hadn't complained. It was a tight fit in the Impala since there were six of them now. Ben was sitting in between him and Sam, so it wasn't all that comfortable. They would get another car from the bunker once they got home. Mom had wanted to drive herself anyway, so it would work out.

"What were they?" Jack asked softly.

"Angels," Sam answered.

"How did you take them all out?" Alec asked, looking at Jack. "I thought we were done for…" He had been down for the count, and his family wasn't doing so hot fighting off the angels. He thought for sure this was going to be their last fight until that bright light had filled the room. And then the angels had all just died. It didn't make any sense until he saw Jack with his hand held up.

"I don't know…" Jack said. "I was afraid they were going to hurt you, and then…I wanted them gone…"

"Well, you saved our asses," Alec said. "So, thanks for that." Maybe Jack wasn't so bad. It was weird having this stranger with them, but maybe he could come in handy since he could take out angels.

Jack still looked troubled, but Mary said, "Alec, you're bleeding."

"Shit," Alec said, looking down at his side.

"Alec, watch your language," Sam automatically reprimanded. He'd been getting onto Alec about his language since he was nine-years-old, it was just habit now to reprimand him every time he cursed.

"I mean shoot, gosh darn it," Alec said sarcastically, but then more seriously he said, "I think I tore some stitches."

"Sam, hand me something that I can use to put pressure against it," Mary said. Sam found a handkerchief in the glove box and passed it back to her. She looked at Alec, silently asking him if it was ok that she help him, and he nodded. Dean smiled; it was baby steps, but Alec and Mary were slowly starting to get used to each other. "Dean, we're going to have to stop and put his stitches in again," Mary said.

"Alright, hang in there kiddo," Dean said, searching for the closest motel he could find.

"I'm fine," Alec grumbled. "You act like I've never torn any stitches before."

"We're stopping, so don't bother arguing," Dean said.

* * *

 _2010_

 _"Dean, you know I can help," Alec argued. "I've helped on a lot of hunts now."_

 _"You're not goin', Alec, end of story," Dean said. "This is a suicide mission and you're too-"_

 _"Young to die?" Alec challenged. "Manticore didn't think so. And if it's a suicide mission then why are you going? What about me? Who's gonna take care of me if you die?" He knew he needed to lay it on thick to get Dean to stay. He didn't have anyone else if Dean died and he didn't want to lose him. He felt like Dean was his Dad even though he only called him Dad in public. He wanted to call him Dad all the time, but he didn't want Dean to get freaked out, so he didn't._

 _"Alec, we already had this talk," Dean said, walking into Bobby's kitchen. Alec followed behind him and crossed his arms defiantly across his little chest. He picked up the little boy and sat him on the counter. "If I don't make it, then Sam will take care of you, and if Sam doesn't make it either, then Bobby's going to take care of you, ok? But me and Sam need to take this shot at the devil. We let Lucifer out, and we need to fix it."_

 _"I want to go too," Alec whispered. Maybe he could protect Dean if he went too. Maybe he wouldn't lose his chance at having a family if he went too._

 _"No," Dean said, rubbing Alec's little shoulders. "Alec, you're one of the very few good things that's ever happened to me and I want to keep you safe if I can. This is one fight I don't want you in." He considered Alec as his kid even though Alec still called him Dean. He wished his little boy would call him Dad even when they weren't in public, but maybe Alec didn't think of him that way. But he was going to keep Alec safe._

 _"But I can help. I can sneak really good and I'm really fast. I can help," Alec said._

 _"No, and that's my final answer," Dean stated. He opened the fridge and got Alec a soda and himself a beer. He opened the soda for his little boy and gave it to him before he popped the top off his beer._

 _"You can't bribe me," Alec said. "I know I'm little, but this won't work."_

 _"It's not a bribe, it's just a soda," Dean said with a smile. Alec was way too funny for his own good. His little boy could always make him smile._

 _"Can I have what you're having instead?" Alec asked, standing up on the counter, looking at his beer curiously._

 _"Not until you're older, kiddo," Dean said._

 _"Can I try it?" Alec asked._

 _Dean chuckled, and then said, "Alright, one sip. But you're not going to like it." He normally wouldn't let Alec do this, but if he was going to die tomorrow, then he wanted to squeeze in as much as he could with Alec._

 _Alec reached out and took the beer, and then took a small sip. He made a disgusted face and quickly handed back the beer, "That's gross!"_

 _Dean laughed and messed up Alec's hair, "Told you."_

 _"How mad would you be if I stowed away in the car tomorrow?" Alec asked, putting his hands on his shoulders._

 _Dean picked Alec up and said, "Really mad, so you better not do it." Alec usually complained when he carried him around, but his little boy was scared that he was going to lose him, so he didn't say anything. He also knew Alec secretly liked being carried, he was just putting on a tough act so he didn't think he was a kid._

 _"What if me and Bobby just followed you in another car, but waited as backup?" Alec asked. He had some good ideas and Dean should listen to them. He knew he could help with the mission, but Dean thought it was too dangerous for him. Da-Dean always benched him if he thought it was too dangerous, and he always forgot that he had some major training that could really benefit the team. He wanted the team to be a family someday, but he would wait until Dean was ready._

 _"And how are you and Bobby gonna drive to follow us? Bobby's in a wheelchair and you're too little to drive," Dean pointed out._

 _Alec shrugged, "I'd figure it out."_

 _"No, you're not gonna do that either," Dean said. He knew Alec would figure it out unless he laid down the law. His little boy was a genius, which really helped most of the time, but was terrifying other times._

 _"How come Ellen and Jo can go, but I can't?" Alec asked._

 _"Because Ellen and Jo are grown ups and you're not," Dean said, grabbing Alec's soda and his beer and heading for the living room. He plopped Alec down on the sofa, and he giggled. "Now don't make me handcuff you to a pipe tomorrow," Dean said, sitting down next to the little boy. "You're staying, but I'm gonna do everything I can to make it make here, ok?"_

 _Alec was quiet for a minute before he muttered, "Fine…"_

 _Dean pulled Alec against his side and ruffled his hair. He was really going to miss Alec if anything happened to him._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry for any confusion, I tried to post this chapter a few times, but it showed up as gibberish on here and I don't know what happened, but now it should be good, hopefully. So, this chapter has flashbacks from season 5, in between season 7 and 8, and the beginning of season 12. Hope you all like it! Also, if there are any episodes or certain things you would like to see, let me know and I'll be happy to include them! Hope you guys like it!_

* * *

Chapter 4

Present

They'd stopped at the motel for a few hours to patch Alec up and to try to regroup, but then hit the road again. They wouldn't be safe until they made it back to the bunker and they could come up with a better plan there. The angels were after Jack and he wasn't going to let them take him. Son of Satan or not, Jack was just a kid and he needed to be protected.

Dean checked the rearview mirror to check on the boys in the back. Alec had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had started the car. He was still recovering and the fight at the diner had used up the tiny bit of energy he had managed to gain. He had fallen over to rest against Jack, who had looked startled at first, but then slowly relaxed and let Alec sleep against him. Jack had fallen asleep after a while too, leaning back against Alec.

He smiled to himself; maybe Alec and Ben could have an older brother. He chuckled thinking about it, causing Sam to look over at him.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked softly. He didn't want to be too loud or move too much since Ben was sleeping against him. He knew Ben wanted to be in the back with Alec, but it was easier to have Ben sit up front with them since he wouldn't complain about it.

Dean nodded his head back towards the boys, "I was just thinking, Alec and Ben could have an older brother."

Sam snorted, "Just a little while ago you were trying to tell me he could be dangerous, now you want to adopt him?"

"No, I'm just…well, look at 'em," Dean said, glancing back again at the sleeping teenagers. "They could be brothers…sort of…" He scratched the back of his head, and then changed directions, "It was just funny to think about, that's all."

Sam chuckled and nodded, "I can't see Alec agreeing to another brother."

"He eventually got used to Ben, and now they're inseparable," Dean said. "He doesn't even want to sit up here while Alec's back there."

Sam nodded again and looked out the window for a moment before he asked, "What makes you think Jack's older?"

He shrugged, "I don't know…he looks older than the twins. I'd say 18 or 19 maybe and Alec and Ben just turned 17. I think he's older."

"So…you think he should stick around?" Sam hesitantly asked.

He looked back at the boys again; he was still a little unsure considering who Jack's father really was, but looking at him now made him think he could be good. "I don't know, Sam…"

"That's ok," Sam quickly reassured. "Its just nice to hear that you don't want to just find a way to kill him even though he hasn't done anything wrong."

"He's just a kid," Dean muttered. "Besides, the angels want him, which means the demons probably want him too, and what we saw back at the diner was probably nothing compared to what he might be able to do…"

"Better to have him on our side, huh?" Sam teased.

"Shut up…"

"Y'know, Alec probably doesn't even realize he's sleeping on Jack," Sam said.

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, I know." He sobered after a moment and said, "He's wiped out though…passed out as soon as we started drivin'. I shouldn't have let him leave the motel earlier…"

"He's doing ok, Dean. He just needs some rest," Sam said. "Once we get back to the bunker he can sleep in his own bed for a while and we can try to figure out what's going on."

"We've still got a ways to go…"

"If he needs to stop, then we'll stop," Sam reasoned.

Alec made a small sound in his sleep, instantly drawing his attention. He held his breath, waiting to see if his boy would wake up, but he breathed out in relief when he settled again. Alec needed his rest, even if it was sleeping in an uncomfortable way in a moving vehicle.

"You should sleep," Dean said suddenly to Sam. "I'll drive as far as I can, and if Alec's still ok, I'll let you drive for a while."

"You sure you'll wake me up if you get tired?" Sam asked to make sure.

"Yeah, I'll wake you up," Dean said.

Sam nodded, and then scooted down in his seat to lean against the door. Dean checked the rearview mirror again to make sure the boys were still asleep and to see if Mom was still asleep too. The slow, even breathing was a comforting sound as he drove home.

* * *

 _2010_

 _"What are we doing?" Alec asked, swinging his little legs as he sat on the hood of the Impala._

 _Dean held out a flashlight for Alec to hold and said, "We, are going to fix the Impala."_

 _"Why?" Alec asked. He cocked his head to the side, looking at him curiously._

 _He picked Alec up and set him on the ground so he could pop the hood of the car. He grabbed a stool and brought it over so Alec could stand on it and see what he was doing. "Ok, you hold the flashlight so I can see and I'll show you everything I'm doing, ok?"_

 _Alec nodded and held the flashlight at the ready. "Why are we fixing the Impala?"_

 _"Well, because the Impala is the most important thing we own," Dean said. "We've gotta keep her running because this is our home."_

 _Alec giggled, "Dad, this is a car."_

 _Dean ruffled Alec's hair and said, "I know it's a car, but it can be both. The Impala is the place I feel the safest. Every time I get in my car, I know everything's gonna be ok. Everything about this car feels like home to me. The smell of the leather seats, the rumble of the engine, the rattle of the legos me and Sam stuffed in the air vents…" He glanced over at Alec when his little boy giggled, making him smile. "But, we've gotta keep her runnin'. We gotta make sure everything's workin' right and we gotta maintain it, otherwise, we'll be homeless, kiddo."_

 _"How do you know its broken?" Alec asked._

 _"When I turn the key, it doesn't sound right," Dean said. "There's a rattle, and it's not the legos in the vents."_

 _"Can you fix it?" Alec asked, looking up at him._

 _"Yeah I can fix it. That's why we're here," Dean said. "And once we're done, you'll be able to fix it next time."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Yeah really," Dean said._

 _Alec gave him a huge smile making him feel better than he ever had before. He showed Alec how to fix the Impala, but then Alec wanted him to keep going, so he did. He taught Alec every part of the Impala and how to fix most of the things that went wrong with it. He showed him how to change a flat tire and how to change the oil, he showed him everything. And then, once he was out of things to teach him for the time being, he got into the backseat with Alec and showed him where he and Sam had carved their initials. He pulled out his pocketknife and helped Alec carve his own initials into the door. S.W., D.W., and A.W.; it made his home complete._

* * *

Present

"He ok?" Sam asked as he walked back into the main room of the bunker. They'd stopped for food and gas, but they had finally made it back.

"Yeah, sacked out as soon as his head hit the pillow," Dean said, sitting opposite of his brother at the table. "Grumbled and complained the whole time, so he's feelin' a little better."

"He'll be alright," Sam said. "Ben with him?"

Dean nodded, "They're both asleep, but Ben will know if he needs something."

"Jack, do you want to lie down? We could find you a room if you do," Mary said. Mary was sitting next to Sam at the table, but Jack was just standing there, looking at them, unsure what to do.

Jack looked to him to see what he should do. "You can do whatever you want," Dean reassured.

"What are you going to do?" Jack asked him.

"I'm stayin' out here for a while," Dean said. He was tired, but he wanted to at least try to come up with a game plan before he went to bed.

Jack nodded, and then walked over to sit next to him. He smiled at them and asked, "What do we do now?"

"We've gotta figure out where Cas is," Sam said.

"He's not answering his phone or any prayers, so we've gotta wait on that one," Dean said.

"Ok, what about Lucifer," Mom said. "We haven't heard anything about him since Jack was…since Jack's been with us."

"Maybe Crowley's heard something on Lucifer, but we'll have to wait until he gets back until we know anything," Sam said, running his hand down his face. He was tired, but he knew his brother wanted to figure things out. Neither of them liked not knowing what was going on, but there was nothing they could really do right now except rest and keep an eye out.

"Why would angels want me?" Jack suddenly asked. His eyes were worried as he looked at all of them, trying to see if any one them would have the answers.

"Jack, I'm not gonna lie to you," Dean said slowly. "The angels want you because you're a Nephilim. Your Mom was human, but your Dad was an angel…a very powerful, archangel."

"Jack, your Dad was Lucifer," Sam said quietly.

"Lucifer…" Jack muttered.

"He's the angel that defied God and was cast into Hell," Mom explained. "He's evil."

"So you think I might be evil," Jack whispered, looking down at the table.

"Jack, we don't know what to think," Dean said. "But we're not gonna jump to any conclusions, ok? We're going to work this out and keep you safe."

Jack was quiet as he took in everything they told him. He looked sad and confused, and he wished he knew a way to make it better, but he didn't. Jack took a deep breath, and then asked, "What did that angel mean…calling Alec and Ben an abomination?"

He flinched; he hated it when anyone called his boys that. Alec and Ben were the best things to ever happen to him; they were the furthest thing from an abomination. But he'd told Jack he wasn't going to lie to him, and he wasn't planning on it. "Alec and Ben were made in a lab," Dean finally admitted. "Some scientist got ahold of my DNA and mixed it with animal DNA to come up with them. The angels call them an abomination because they're not one of God's creations. But they are my sons, and they will always be my sons."

Jack nodded, "I didn't like it when they called them that…they looked sad…"

"My boys and the angels don't really get along. They never have," Dean said. "They're used to them calling them that. I think they were sad to hear about the others like them. The angels claim to have gotten rid of all the others, but I don't believe it. From what Alec told me, there are a ton of kids like him, but we've never seen them…"

"Do I get to stay?" Jack suddenly asked.

"Yeah, you get to stay," Dean reassured.

* * *

 _2013_

 _"Uncle Sam!" Alec sang from another room. Sam rolled his eyes at his 12-year-old nephew's antics, but he decided to play along. Ever since Dean and Ben had disappeared he'd been either moping around or so focused on researching how to get his Dad and brother back that he hadn't been acting like himself._

 _They had a decent house now; two-bedroom, one bath. He'd rented it a few months after Dean and Ben had disappeared in thin air. He knew Dean wanted him to try to give Alec a normal life, but Alec just wanted to look for Dean and Ben. He played along though and went to school and did chores around the house. Sam was proud of him for at least trying to be normal. Most nights though, Alec would either wake him up screaming or crawl into bed with him because of a nightmare. They tried to be normal, but that wasn't in the cards for them._

 _"What?" Sam sang back._

 _"I've got a surprise for you…" Alec sang. He knew this was a trap, but he also knew this would get Alec to laugh and that was always his goal these days._

 _He stood up and slowly walked down the hall. "This better not be some kind of ambush…" Sam muttered. He heard Alec's insane giggle as he walked further down the hall. "Alec, where are you?"_

 _"I'm in your bedroom Uncle Sammy," Alec taunted._

 _He rolled his eyes as he walked to his room. He opened the door and saw Alec jumping up and down on his bed, throwing confetti everywhere. "Alec!" Sam yelled, storming into the room. But he hit an invisible wall and fell back on his butt, causing Alec to collapse in a fit of laughter._

 _"Oh you should see your face!" Alec said, clutching his side as he laughed hysterically._

 _"Alec, what the Hell did you do?" Sam shouted, sitting up to see what he'd run into._

 _"It's just plastic wrap," Alec said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "That was perfect! You didn't even see it comin'!" He pulled out his pocketknife and sliced through the plastic wrap before he ran into the room to get Alec back. "Oh shit!" Alec yelled happily, trying to avoid him._

 _He grabbed his nephew before he could get away and tossed him back on the bed, tickling him mercilessly. "You better watch your language, kid," Sam warned, avoiding kicking feet and grabbing hands._

 _"Uncle Sam! Stop!" Alec yelled when he could. "I can't breathe!"_

 _"This is payback," Sam said, tickling Alec more._

 _"I'm gonna pee my pants," Alec warned. He instantly stopped since he knew Alec would do it. "Just kidding," Alec said as soon as he was released. He jumped on his back and ordered, "To the kitchen!"_

 _"Says who?" Sam asked, looking over his shoulder at Alec._

 _"Says me," Alec said. "I want a popsicle and you have to get it for me!"_

 _"No I don't," Sam argued. "Besides, you don't need any more sugar."_

 _"Uncle Sam, I'm withering away," Alec complained dramatically. "I need sugar to keep going."_

 _"One popsicle, but nothing else. I don't want you ruining your dinner," Sam said._

 _Alec rolled his eyes, but finally agreed with a grumbled 'fine'. Sam smiled though and took him to the kitchen to get him a popsicle. He tossed his nephew on the sofa once he had his snack and sat down next to him. It felt good to smile again and to hear Alec laugh again. He pulled Alec against his side and messed up his hair just like Dean used to do. Alec looked up at him and smiled, taking another bite of his treat._

 _"Better watch out, Uncle Sam, I've got a lot more pranks," Alec warned._

 _"I'll be ready for you next time," Sam said with a small smile._

* * *

Present

"What year is it…" Alec mumbled when he finally emerged from his room. His hair was sticking up in the back, but he had more color now that he'd gotten some real sleep.

Dean smiled and pulled out a chair for his son to sit down in. "It's been about a day since we've gotten to the bunker."

Alec sat down, but immediately leaned forward to cross his arms on the table and rested his head on his arms. "What'd I miss?" Alec asked sleepily.

"Well…Jack's going to stay," Dean said. Alec shot him a side glare, which he knew was coming. Alec didn't like things changing; he hadn't liked moving into the bunker, he hated when they worked with anyone outside of their family, Ben…well, Ben was a big adjustment, and he still wasn't used to his Mom being with them. This new addition was going to take some getting used to, especially since it was still up in the air if Jack could be trusted or not.

Alec sat up when he didn't say anything else. "Seriously? We're going to invite the monster to live with us? And then what? You'll adopt him next?" Alec asked sarcastically.

"Alec, you don't have to think of it like that. Just think of it as we're teaching him things and showing him how things work in the world," Dean said.

"First you think he's dangerous, which he is because he's the son of Satan, but now you've completely changed your mind," Alec said. "I get trying to protect him from the angels. That much power falling into their hands would be a big problem, but that doesn't mean we give him free range in here!"

"Just give him a chance, alright," Dean asked. "Show him around in the morning. Show him where things are or just watch TV with him. You don't have to be best friends or anything." Alec rolled his eyes and stood up to leave. "For me?" Dean asked before his son could hide in his room again.

"Fine," Alec growled, walking away from him. His door slammed after a moment and he sighed, running his hand down his face.

"Teenagers, am I right?"

He jumped and turned to see Crowley standing at the top of the stairs by the door. "How the Hell did you get in here?" Dean grumbled. The bunker was warded so one of them would have had to let the demon in, but he was the only one up right now.

Crowley raised his eyebrows and said, "Most people lock doors when they don't want someone to come inside."

"You've gotta be kidding me…"

"Besides, you want to hear what I found out," Crowley said, walking over and sitting in one of the chairs across from him.

"If it's about proof that Jack's the Nephilim then you wasted a trip," Dean said. "We've already got the proof."

"It's about your angel, Castiel," Crowley said. "And Lucifer."

He waited to see if Crowley would just tell him, but rolled his eyes when he figured out the demon was just being dramatic. "Get on with it," he growled.

"The blast was caused by the Nephilim being born," Crowley said.

"His name is Jack," Dean cut in.

Crowley rolled his eyes, and then continued in his know-it-all tone, "The blast was actually a rip in our universe into another, alternate universe. My source says that Lucifer and Castiel were fighting before the blast happened, and then disappeared once the smoke cleared. Best guess is, they are in the alternate universe."

"How do we get Cas back?" Dean asked.

Crowley looked at him like he was stupid before he said, "Obviously, we have to find a way into the alternate universe."

* * *

 _2016_

 _"Dean?" Sam breathed out. "How are you alive?" The sun hadn't disappeared so he assumed his brother had managed to blow up the Darkness and had died doing so. He didn't think he was ever going to see his brother again._

 _"I'll answer everything, I will, but first, where're the boys?" Dean asked, leaning heavily against the chains hanging from the ceiling and encircling his wrists. The boys weren't in the bunker so they had to be here. He needed to know where they were before he explained anything._

 _"She has them," Sam said. "I thought she was going to use them against me, but she said they don't torture children. They're in this house somewhere, I just don't know where."_

 _"So they're alright?" Dean asked to make sure._

 _"They should be. She tasered Alec after she shot me, and then injected Ben with something, but she's got a camera in whatever room they're in. They were sleeping when she showed me," Sam said._

 _"Who's angry spice?" Dean asked, nodding to where the woman had disappeared._

 _"She's…she's Men of Letters. Uh, British Men of Letters," Sam said. He couldn't believe it when she told him that, but he couldn't figure out why she would lie. He thought all of the Men of Letters were gone, but he was wrong. Too bad they were a bunch of dicks too._

 _"Is that a thing? What the Hell? Aren't we supposed to be on the same team?" Dean asked. Before he had a chance to answer, the woman was back. "Oh God…" Dean breathed. He already hurt from the first time she was here; he really wasn't looking forward to round two. He just wanted to get his family back to the bunker and away from this woman._

 _Sam had no way to help his brother since he was tied to the chair. He hated that Dean was going to be hurt even more, but he couldn't give her what she wanted. He was just glad she didn't bring his nephews into this. He didn't know how long he could have lasted being made to watch her torture them. Alec and Ben were the most important people to him and his brother, and they would do anything to protect them._

 _He struggled against the ties as she threatened Dean; he hated seeing Dean in pain, and this lady was planning on dishing out the worst pain._

 _"Do you know it's possible to die from pain?" She asked Dean._

 _"Get away from my boys."_

 _He looked to the door and his eyes widened in shock. "Mom?"_

 _"Yeah," Dean said with a smile. He wanted to punch his brother for leaving out this very important piece of information. He could've led with 'by the way, Mom's back,' but he didn't. He only knew this was his Mom because of the pictures Dean had shown him. He had no idea how she was back, but it didn't matter._

 _He was slow catching up to what was going on since he still couldn't wrap his head around his Mom being alive again, but he snapped out of it when he was suddenly hit in the face. He tipped back, but then straightened to see Mom was gasping for air._

 _He still wasn't free and he couldn't do anything to help. Dean had his gun out, but he couldn't shoot and save Mom. He couldn't believe he was going to lose his Mom without even getting to say anything to her._

 _"Dean!" He yelled when his brother hit the woman, knocking her unconscious. He was afraid that was going to kill his Mom, but luckily Mom gasped, finally able to breathe again._

 _"It's ok," Dean reassured, running over to Mom. "She was using a Chinese mind-control technique. Hard to do when you're unconscious." He helped Mom get to her feet and quipped, "Turns out this ape did read a book or two."_

 _He smiled; his brother was incredibly smart even though he pretended he wasn't. Dean walked over to him to get him untied, but they weren't done yet._

 _"Well played," a man with a British accent said from the bottom of the stairs. His mouth nearly dropped open in shock when he saw Cas was there, but so were Alec and Ben. His nephews were groggy looking; Alec's hair was messed up and he rubbed his eyes like he'd just woken up and Ben was stumbling down the stairs after Alec, but other than that they looked fine._

 _"Alec, Ben," Dean said with a small smile as soon as he had gotten him untied._

 _Both boys looked up at the same time, and identical looks of shock crossed their faces. "Dad?!" They both ran down the rest of the stairs and practically slammed into Dean. "I thought you were dead…" Alec whispered._

 _"I'm alright," Dean reassured, hugging his boys close and kissing the sides of their heads. The boys had grown so much in seven years, but for now they were still shorter than Dean. "I'll tell you everything once we get outta here."_

 _The British man cleared his throat to get their attention. Alec moved so he was in between him and Dean, and Ben was at Dean's other side. He wanted to get up and hug his nephews and his brother, but he knew he needed to remain seated for a while. At least until they could get Cas to fix him up._

 _"My name is Mick and I'm part of the British Men of Letters," he said as soon as he had their attention. "What you were told about us is basically true. We were keen on knowing about the four of you, seeing as you seem to be partially carrying on the Men of Letters' work here now that the American chapter is defunct."_

 _"So, you sic your attack dog on us to what? Say hi?" Dean asked sarcastically._

 _"Lady Bevell went too far. I deeply apologize," Mick said. He huffed as Dean rolled his eyes. "She will face consequences in London."_

 _"I'll tell you what, why don't you take a walk and she can face those consequences right here and now?" Dean growled. She wasn't going to get away with kidnapping his boys and torturing his brother. She was going to die, one way or another._

 _"She's ours. We'll take care of her," Mick said. "Now, I'm here to extend an olive branch. We want to work with you."_

 _"Let me ask you a question, uh, Mick is it?" Dean asked with a smirk. "Why would we believe any of this?"_

 _"If I meant you harm, there's a dozen ways I could've come in here and taken you all prisoner instead of being unarmed," Mick pointed out. "Not to mention I powered down all the wardings in this shack so your attack dog could come in._ And _I gave Alec and Ben the antidote to wake them up again. Without it, they would have slept until they died."_

 _He and Dean shared a look; he didn't trust this guy, but he had a point. He could've come in here and taken them down and left Alec and Ben where they were, but he didn't._

 _"My number," Mick said, giving Cas a card. "Take your time, cool down, and just think it over. What have you got to lose, except your worst nightmares?"_

* * *

 _"Cas," Dean said as soon as Mick and Lady Bevell were gone. He didn't trust the Brits at all, but he needed to get Sam healed before they took off. His friend walked forward and healed Sam without a question, and then healed him too. Cas went to Mom next, but he turned to Alec and Ben to make sure they were ok. "Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?" Cas wouldn't heal them, so he had to know._

 _Sam stood up to check Alec and Ben over too, but they really did look ok, just sleepy._

 _"I'm fine…I have no idea what's going on, but I literally just woke up," Alec said. "How are you alive? What happened?"_

 _"Let's get outta here, and then I'll tell you guys everything," Dean said. "Um, but first, I think we've gotta make some introductions." He turned to look at his Mom and said, "Alec, Ben, that's mine and Sam's Mom, Mary. Mom, this is Alec and Ben, my sons."_

 _His Mom's eyes widened in surprise and he felt a little bad that he hadn't given her a head's up that he had kids now, but he didn't know how to tell her. "You have a son?" Mom finally asked._

 _"Yeah, two sons. They're twins…um, they're sixteen, and the two biggest trouble makers you'll ever meet," Dean said, ruffling Alec's hair and pulling Ben closer to himself._

 _Alec batted his hand away with a scowl, but then smiled at Mary and held out his hand. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."_

 _Mom just looked at him; she looked overwhelmed and sad. Maybe this was too much, but he wasn't going to apologize for having Alec and Ben, especially since they were the best thing to ever happen to him. Alec dropped his hand after a moment and nodded in understanding._

 _"C'mon, let's get out of here before they decide to come back," Sam said to break the awkward silence._

 _Dean nodded and patted Alec's back before they started for the stairs. He knew this was going to be an adjustment, but things always had to be more difficult than they needed to be with his family._

 _Cas had to leave, but the five of them piled into the Impala and headed back for the bunker. Alec was sitting up front with him while Sam sat in the back with Mom and Ben. Alec would normally sit in the back with Ben, but after his Mom's rejection and him coming back from the dead, he knew his boy needed to be up front with him even if he wouldn't admit it out loud. But he told them everything that had happened with him and Amara and how she had given him Mom back, and then Sam filled him in on what happened with Lady Bevell. He felt sick hearing how that bitch tortured his brother; he wished now that he'd pulled the trigger when he had the chance._

 _They got takeout and ate together even though it was still a little awkward. Mom would talk to him and Sam, but it was like she didn't know what to say to Alec or Ben. And Alec was silent during dinner, which was really weird for him. He tried to lighten the mood, but nothing was really working. Sam was in awe that Mom was alive, Mom was weirded out that she was back, but they were older than she remembered, Alec was silent because Mom didn't know how to act around him, Ben was silent too, but he was normally pretty quiet and he was probably feeding off of Alec's anxiety, and he had no idea how to fix any of it._

 _Sam and Mom left the room after dinner and Alec and Ben started for their room, leaving him alone. He stood after a moment though and followed after his boys. He knew they needed some reassurances that he really was back, and Alec needed some reassurances that everything was ok with Mary being there. He knocked on the door before he opened it and saw that Alec was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling while Ben was pulling a book off the shelf._

 _Their room was tidy, but they had the gifts he and Sam had given them throughout the years on the bookshelf and on the dresser. He smiled seeing the foul ball they caught at the only baseball game he'd been able to take them to. He had wanted to do things differently for Alec and Ben than his Dad had done for him. They still hunted, but he had made sure his boys got to do some kid things too. Sam had made sure Alec and Ben got an education while he made sure they had some fun. It was a good balance._

 _"She hates us," Alec mumbled without taking his eyes off the ceiling._

 _"She doesn't hate you," Dean argued, walking over to sit next to Alec. "She just doesn't know you."_

 _Alec shrugged, "It doesn't matter. Nothin' I haven't heard before."_

 _"Alec, it's not gonna be like it is with the angels. She thinks I should be 4-years-old…it's just going to take some time for things to make sense," Dean said._

 _"And if they don't?" Alec challenged. There wasn't anything he could do about the angels hating his son, but he wasn't going to put Alec through having Mary hate him too._

 _"Alec," Ben sighed. "Give it a chance. She doesn't know us."_

 _"You boys come first, Alec. She'll have to come around if she wants to stay," Dean said. Alec sat up to face him, but winced at the movement. "What's wrong?" Dean asked, instantly on alert._

 _"It's just from the taser," Alec muttered, rolling his shoulders. "And I think I slept on it wrong…"_

 _He smiled know Alec was trying to make him feel better. "Did you take your pills? Both of you?"_

 _"Yes, we both took them as soon as we got here," Ben answered. He always looked out for his brother and made sure he took his pills. There were times when the pills weren't enough, but he was always there for him when that happened too. His Dad was right; he and Alec needed each other and they needed to look out for each other. It took a while for them to get used to each other, but now they couldn't function without the other._

 _"Ok, good," Dean said. He ruffled Alec's hair and stood up to do the same to Ben. His oldest dodged him though and smirked back at him. He caught him in a headlock and messed up his hair, and smiled when he saw Alec was laughing. His job here was done; he had wanted to cheer his boys up and he'd sort of managed to do that._

 _His eyes widened though when he was suddenly falling backwards. He'd taken his eyes off his boys for one second and he'd missed their silent conversation. He swore, sometimes his boys could read each other's minds. Alec rolled off of him as soon as he was on the ground and jumped back up._

 _He swept Ben's legs out from under him, and then shot up as fast as he could. He grabbed Alec and tried to toss him on the bed, but he turned the tables, and somehow he was on the bed instead._

 _"Give up Dad," Ben said with a smile._

 _He knew he couldn't wrestle with his boys like he used to, but they still always had fun doing it. "Never," Dean said, jumping up and tackling Alec at the waist. Ben piled on top of them and they rolled around on the floor, laughing until his side started to hurt from it._

 _The three of them laid there on the floor after a while and stared up at the ceiling._

 _"You really think Mary will get used to us?" Alec asked softly._

 _"I'm really hopin' she does," Dean replied._

 _"What are we going to do about the British?" Ben asked._

 _"We're stayin' as far away from them as possible," Dean said. "They're dangerous, so if they come near you again, shoot first and ask questions later. I'm not losin' you two."_

 _Alec rolled over to his stomach and crossed his arms in front of him, resting his chin on his forearm, "You think they were really Men of Letters?"_

 _"Yeah…I don't know how they would know otherwise," Dean said._

 _"What're we gonna do now?" Ben asked, copying Alec position on the floor._

 _He sat up and bent his knees so he could rest his arms on them. "We keep hunting," Dean said. "I mean…if you guys are up for it."_

 _"You know I'm in," Alec said with a wide smile. "We could go right now."_

 _Ben nodded his agreement, and he chuckled. "Let's at least get some sleep first. We can look for cases in the morning."_

 _"News flash, Dad. We just slept for…" Alec stopped and looked over at his brother. "How long we were there for?"_

 _Ben shrugged, "How should I know? I was unconscious the same amount as you."_

 _Alec huffed and rolled his eyes, "C'mon Ben, you're supposed to pay attention to those kinds of things."_

 _"And you're not?" Ben asked back._

 _"I'm just supposed to get us out of sticky situations," Alec said, "You're supposed to pay attention to the details."_

 _"Then how come we got caught? If you're supposed to get us out of sticky situations, we should've never been knocked out in the first place," Ben said with a smirk._

 _"If_ someone _had warned me that some crazy chick was gonna taser my ass, maybe I would've been able to get us out of there," Alec shot back._

 _"Ok, that's enough," Dean said before Ben could argue with his brother more. If he let them keep going, they would go back and forth all night. "Try to sleep. And if it doesn't work, just don't make too much noise because some of us do need to sleep."_

 _Alec and Ben both nodded back to him, so he stood up and ruffled their hair._

 _"Hey Dad," Alec said before he could leave the room. He stopped and turned back to look at his youngest son. "I'm really glad you're ok."_

 _He walked back over to his son and pulled him to his feet. He wrapped his arms around him and whispered, "I'm sorry. I swear I didn't want to leave you, but it was the only way."_

 _"Just promise not to do it again," Alec said, snuggling against his neck like he used to._

 _"_ _I promise," Dean said, gently putting his hand on the back of Alec's head. He looked over and saw that Ben was on his feet now too. He pulled Ben over and added him into the hug. His boys hadn't wanted him to go, but he had to stop Amara. He was the one that let her out, so he had to be the one to make it right. He didn't want his boys to die because of his mistakes. But he never wanted to leave them again._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	5. Chapter 5

_So, I'm bringing something in that Ben and Alec did not have in the show, but they have it in my stories, so I hope that's ok. Also, the flashback in this chapter is from season five at the beginning of the episode 'The End'. Hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 5

Present

"Can you make it go away?" Alec hissed to his brother. Jack was following them all around the bunker and it was driving him nuts. Dad and Uncle Sam went with Mary to try to research anything they could about alternate universes, leaving him, Ben, and Jack alone in the bunker. Somehow popping a few stitches warranted house arrest for a lifetime.

"Alec, try to be nice. Dad wants us to show him around and make him feel at home," Ben replied. He knew Alec didn't really like Jack, but Dad trusted him enough to leave him alone with them, so that was good enough for him. "Besides, we're just going to go watch some TV, maybe play a video game or something."

"Can't we go to the shooting range instead?" Alec whined. He loved watching TV and playing video games, but he never wanted to do that when that was the only thing he was allowed to do.

"No Alec," Ben sighed. "Dad said you had to stay on the sofa today."

"Ben, torn stitches are nothing," Alec argued. "I've torn stitches a million times and it's fine."

"You don't know how close it was," Ben whispered. He knew he could get Alec to agree to rest if he made him feel guilty. It was a dick move, but it would be worth it. And it really was way too close. He'd nearly lost his brother. "You were about to die right in front of me."

"Ben, I…I don't…I'm sorry," Alec said, dropping his head down in shame. He should've moved faster; he shouldn't have let Marry get that close without knowing for sure if she was really ok. He was just lucky Ben had gotten there in time to mess up Mary's aim enough so she didn't immediately kill him.

"I just want you to be more careful," Ben said. "We should've scouted things out more before we confronted Mary."

"What are you guys talking about?" Jack asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Nothing," Alec muttered, turning and continuing to the rec room Dad and Uncle Sam had made for them.

"We're just talking about how Alec got shot," Ben said to Jack. He was always more patient than Alec, and he was in Jack's shoes a few years ago. Alec could be a real dick sometimes, especially if he didn't like something. He knew his brother was just trying to protect himself and what he had, but he could lay off a little bit. "Mary, Sam and Dean's Mom, shot him when she was brainwashed. The bullet was poisoned, so Alec almost died a few days ago and now he's slowly recovering. That's why he tore some stitches during the fight."

"Ben," Alec hissed, turning back to look at his brother. "Could you _not_ tell him my every weakness right now?" Yeah, he got shot, and yes, he almost died, but that didn't mean his twin could broadcast everything to this guy.

"If I wanted to tell him your every weakness, I could go into a lot more detail than just telling him you were shot," Ben spat.

Alec glared, but then turned and walked away from them. "I'm going to the range. Don't follow me."

Ben sighed as Alec walked away from them. He was going to follow his brother, but they would walk slow so he could get some of his frustration out. He knew he would wear down pretty soon after walking all the way to the range, and might even need help getting back to either their room or the sofa. He would just have to find a way to get Jack to stay somewhere while he went looking for his brother. Alec would never accept help if Jack was around too.

"Ignore him," Ben said once Alec was out of hearing range. "He'll get used to you after a while. He took a long time to warm up to me too. Alec's just not good at change."

"But you're ok with it?" Jack asked.

He took a deep breath and said, "Alec found Dad a year and a half before Dad found me. Alec…I…Alec knew about me before all that, but he didn't trust me because what I did hurt him. People tortured him because of me, so he doesn't trust easily. But he does trust eventually, and once he does, that's it. You can count on him for anything."

"So, I just have to prove that I can be trusted…" Jack said slowly.

"Yeah, and saving us back at the diner put you in the right direction," Ben said. "Alec takes family very seriously, just like my whole family really, and the best way to get him to trust is to show that you're not a threat to us."

"I didn't even know I could do that," Jack whispered. "I just saw them hurting you guys and it just happened."

Ben nodded, "Step in the right direction."

"Are we going to go after him?" Jack asked.

"In a little. He needs to cool down and lose some energy first," Ben said.

They walked down the halls in silence for a few minutes before Jack spoke again. "How long did it take for Alec to trust you?"

"A few months," Ben said. "He's bein' a lot nicer to you than he was to me, so maybe it won't take as long."

They walked all around the bunker so he could show him where things were, not really talking about anything as they went. Jack would ask him questions and he answered them the best he could. He was trying to make him feel welcome and get him to trust them. Even though Jack was probably dangerous, it was better to have him on their side.

"Alright, he's probably worn himself out," Ben said, starting for the range. It had been a while, and Alec had been up a long time before he stormed off, so he was probably about ready to pass out. They healed faster than most people, but thanks to the poison and the attack at the diner, Alec was healing a lot slower than he should. It didn't help that he wouldn't sit still long enough to actually heal, but this should wear him out.

He heard the gunfire before he was even close to the range. Alec was still going strong, which was good and bad. It was good because he was still on his feet, and bad because he was going to be pissed that Jack was still with him.

The gunfire stopped suddenly, and he heard the gun clatter to the floor. He took off, not even caring if Jack was following him or not.

"Alec?!" Ben called out as soon as he saw his brother had dropped down to his knees. His arms were shaking and he knew immediately what was wrong. He turned to Jack and ordered, "Go to the bathroom and grab the biggest bottle of pills you can find and bring them back." He went to his brother, shrugging out of his over-shirt as he went, and wrapped his arm around his chest. He carefully eased him back and cushioned his head on his shirt, turning him on his side.

Alec cried out in pain once he got him on his side and stuttered, "B-ben…wr-wrong s-side…"

"Shit, sorry Alec," Ben quickly apologized, turning Alec onto his other side; he was so focused on the seizures, he'd forgotten about his bullet wound. He moved so he was in front of his brother again and said, "Hang in there Alec. We'll get your pills, ok? It's just small tremors right now, so the full-out one should still be pretty far off." He should've checked on his brother sooner. He should've thought about his seizures. He knew his brother was pushing too hard…

"Th-they just h-hit," Alec said. He closed his eyes tight as a strong tremor shook his entire body. He prayed Jack was going to get back soon. "I-I swear I w-would've st-stopped-"

"I know, Alec," Ben reassured. "I just should've checked on you sooner."

"N-not your f-fault," Alec said, opening his eyes again.

"Just try to relax, ok? I'll call Dad as soon as I get some pills in you," Ben said.

"Ben, is this right?" Jack asked breathlessly. He held up the bottle of pills he found, and Ben nodded back in relief.

He motioned for Jack to come over and took the bottle from him once he was close enough. "Now go to the fridge and find some milk."

Jack nodded and took off again. He looked back to Alec and saw fear in his brother's eyes. "'S t-too late…" Alec breathed out, right before his eyes rolled back and seizures took over his body. Alec shook uncontrollably, and there was nothing he could do to help. He and Alec both suffered from the imbalance, and they could usually keep off the seizures, but sometimes not even the pills helped.

He grabbed his phone and pressed his Dad's speed dial. He only had to wait a minute before his Dad answered. "Hey Ben, Alec getting on your nerves?"

"Dad, he's having seizures," Ben said as fast as he could. "I was about to give him some pills, but he went into a full out seizure before he could take them."

"I'm on my way, buddy," Dad reassured. "Where are you in the bunker?"

"At the range…I'm sorry Dad, he needed to blow off some steam and I let him," Ben said miserably.

"It's ok Ben. I'm on my way and Alec's going to be fine. Just stay put, ok?" Dad said. "Try to get him to take the pills and drink some milk. Everything's going to be ok."

He nodded even though Dad couldn't see him. He could hear Jack's footsteps returning, but he stopped in the doorway, his eyes glued to Alec's seizing form. "Dad, I gotta go," Ben said.

"Hang tight, ok?" Dad said. "I'll be there soon."

Ben dropped his phone and focused on Alec again. "C'mon Alec, fight your way back…"

"What's happening?" Jack asked.

"He's having a seizure, but it's lasting longer than it should…" Ben muttered, checking his watch. "Alec, please come back…" It was another 30 seconds before Alec's shaking finally slowed and it looked more like he was sleeping. His arms and legs were still twitching, but he could work with this. "Alec, you gotta wake up and take your pills. Dad's on his way, so you should probably wake up before he gets here. You know this is going to get you even more time on the sofa." He was rambling on, but he knew if Alec heard his voice he would fight harder to wake up. "Please Alec…"

"'M alright…" Alec finally slurred.

"I'm going to sit you up, so don't pass out," Ben warned. He turned his brother so he was on his back again and lifted up his shoulder and rested him against himself. He tried to block out the small sound of pain Alec made at the movement, but it hurt to know he was making this worse for his brother. But he had to drink some milk and take his pills so the seizures would stop. He patted Alec's chest to signal that he needed to open his eyes, and he was glad when he saw Alec looking back at him. "C'mon, take some pills for me."

Alec did as he was told and let him drop two pills into his mouth. He reached out for the milk and was glad when Jack handed it to him. He tipped a little bit of milk into Alec's mouth and felt some relief when Alec was able to swallow.

Alec whimpered when a strong tremor shook him, and he knew he needed to distract his brother. "Dad's on his way. He should be here any minute. Try to stay awake, ok? You know he's going to want to see how you're doing."

"Should I get him anything else?" Jack asked.

"Do you need a blanket?" Ben asked Alec.

"Y-you wa-want m-me to st-stay awake or n-not?" Alec grumbled.

He rolled his eyes, but it was good to hear Alec grumbling. Jack sat next to him, but then said, "Ben, he's bleeding again."

"That bullet wound is never gonna heal," Ben said to his brother. He grabbed his shirt that he'd been using as a pillow, lifted up Alec's shirt, and pressed against his side instead. Alec tensed under him, but didn't try to get away. He was probably too weak to move that far anyway.

"I-I should've kn-know," Alec whispered after a few minutes. "M-my aim w-was off…"

"Alright, next time you can't hit a bullseye, I'll get you some milk, ok?" Ben said, trying to get Alec to smile. Alec did smile, but he also closed his eyes. "Hey, c'mon, stay awake just a little bit longer."

"Ben?! Alec?!" Dad yelled from down the hall.

"We're in here," Ben yelled back.

Dad ran in, and his frantic eyes searched the room until they landed on them. He forced a smile when he saw them and came over to them. He crouched down on Alec's other side and brushed his hair back from his forehead. "Hey kiddo, how ya doin'?"

"I-I'm alright," Alec breathed out.

"Did you manage to get some pills down?" Dad asked.

"Dean?" Sam shouted.

"He's alright," Dad yelled back.

Uncle Sam appeared in the doorway, closely followed by Mary. "What can we do?" Mary asked.

"Grab the first aid kit," Dad said. "And I need some ice and a pillow." He checked Alec's pupils and checked his pulse. "Ben, let's get him back down…Alec, you're gonna have another seizure I think. Just ride it out, ok? We'll be right here the whole time." Ben looked at his brother in alarm; he'd completely missed Alec's tremors coming back. He should have paid closer attention.

Alec nodded, but then closed his eyes against the pain. He patted Alec's chest and prayed he was going to be ok.

"Pillow," Sam called out, throwing a pillow into the room.

Dad caught the pillow, and then gently raised up Alec's head and settled him onto the pillow. "D-dad…I-I'm g-gonna b-be ok," Alec breathed out.

Dad ran his hand through Alec's hair again and nodded reassuringly. "I know, kiddo." Alec started seizing again without any warning, but Dad was ready and was already turning him on his side. "How long was the last one?" Dad asked him.

"2 minutes and 18 seconds," Ben answered. It seemed like it had lasted a lifetime. He hated watching his brother suffer through these. He seemed to suffer more than he did though, and he didn't know why. Dad seemed to know that Alec got them more, but he'd read Alec's file, so maybe it said in there. Or maybe there was a clue or something.

Uncle Sam came back with the first aid kit, but his face fell when he saw Alec having a seizure. Mary came back too with the ice in hand, but she froze when her eyes landed on Alec. "Dean-"

"He'll be alright, Mom," Dad said. "They both get seizures sometimes, but this should be the last full-out seizure."

"This one's longer than the last one," Ben said softly.

"He'll come back," Dean reassured. "He always does."

He heard muffled voices when he finally started to come around again. Someone's hand was in his hair, another hand was on his shoulder, one on his back, and one against his chest. His Dad and brother must've been next to him.

He was slow piecing together what had happened, but it finally clicked that he was having seizures. He'd been annoyed that his brother was being all buddy-buddy with Jack, so he'd gone to the range. The seizures had hit so suddenly, he couldn't do anything to prevent them. Usually he had a little warning when he was about to have a seizure, but not this time.

He had kind of forgotten about them since Ben hadn't forced any pills down his throat recently. He got the shakes more than his brother did, so Ben paid more attention to their pill intake than he did. If it was the other way around, and Ben got the shakes more than he did, then he'd probably pay more attention. He didn't like seeing his family in pain, so he tried his hardest to make sure they were ok. He knew he needed to pay more attention to his own wellbeing, but he just wasn't programmed that way.

"Alec, can you hear me, kiddo?" Dad asked, his hand running through his hair again.

He tried to nod; he knew his Dad was probably freaking out, but he'd gotten a lot better since the first time he'd had a seizure. He was going to get 'the talk' again after this. He pretty much knew what his Dad would say by heart. 'You need to take better care of yourself, pay attention to when you last took a pill and if you can't remember, then it's been too long.'

"Alright, this is gonna be cold," Dad warned.

He forced his eyes open so he could see what was going on. Why would something be cold? He gasped when the bag of ice came into contact with his skin. He looked down to see his shirt was pulled up and the ice was right above his bleeding bullet wound. He'd forgotten about pulling his stitches again.

"Easy Alec, Dad's just trying to numb it before he puts in the stitches," Ben said, gently pressing on his chest to get him to lie back.

He was still trembling, and a strong tremor shot through him every once in while, but the debilitating pain that had been traveling up his spine was starting to fade so he knew the medicine was working.

He could feel Dad tugging the broken stitches out of his side, but it didn't hurt, it was just slightly uncomfortable. It was really nothing compared to the pain the seizures brought with them. Now he was never getting off the sofa.

"Alec, try to focus for me, kiddo," Dad said. "Try to talk to me. Tell me what happened."

"Th-they just h-hit m-me outta n-nowhere…" Alec breathed out. It took way more energy than it should've to say that. "N-no w-warning…"

"Ok, we're gonna get you fixed up," Dad said.

"C-can I st-stay on th-the s-sofa?" Alec asked. He didn't want to be confined to his room; he wanted to be at least close to where everyone else was.

"We'll see," Dad said. "That sofa makes your neck hurt."

"Th-that's ok," Alec said. He could feel some tugging on his skin and he knew Dad was putting in his stitches again. He needed to make his case while he still could, but the meager strength he had was draining.

"Dad, I think it'd be better for him to stay on the sofa," Ben said. He gave his brother a thankful look, and Ben patted his chest in reply. "He'll stay there if he feels like he knows what's going on."

"Alright, but no complainin' about your neck hurting," Dad said. "Ben, try to get him to drink some milk while I get him a shirt to change into."

"B-ben…" Alec stuttered.

"Yeah?"

"'M-m c-cold…"

"Dad, long-sleeved shirt and a hoodie," Ben called out. "Alright, now drink some milk." Ben lifted his shoulders up, but he groaned at the movement. His muscles felt like they were ripping apart, and he could feel that he was losing his grip on consciousness. Ben tapped his cheek though and he fought his way back. "Drink some milk, ok?"

He let Ben tip some milk into his mouth, but he choked on the second sip. Someone dabbed at his face to wipe away the milk, but his coughing fit had drained the rest of his energy away and had forced him to close his eyes so he didn't see if it was his brother or not.

Dean ran back in to see Jack carefully wiping spilled milk from Alec's chin. He hated it when his boys had seizures, but at least Ben had been around this time. Alec sometimes took off and hid from them if he knew he was going to have a seizure. He didn't want anyone else around him when it happened, even though he needed help even walking when he did have one.

"He's ok, he just choked on the milk," Sam whispered to him.

"Dean, what do we need to do?" Mom asked.

"The worst of it should be over," Dean answered. "But he's just taken a huge step back in recovery. He's gonna be down for another week, at least."

"Why do they get seizures?" Mom asked.

"Because of how they were created," Dean said. "There's an imbalance that causes the seizures, but we can usually keep them off. That's why we have pills stashed all over the bunker and in the Impala and in all our bags. Alec gets them worse than Ben does, but he forgets about his pills more often too."

"Dad, he passed out," Ben said. "Now's the best time."

He nodded and walked over to his boys. He and Ben quickly worked Alec's arms out of his sleeves and got his blood-stained shirt off him, and then quickly got him into the long-sleeved shirt and the hoodie. It was always best to get Alec into clean clothes and get him moved when he was unconscious. When Alec was hurt, he was a pain to deal with.

He lifted up Alec's limp form and carried him into the rec room. Ben situated Alec's pillow as he gently laid him down. "Do you need this?" Jack suddenly asked. He turned and saw the kid was holding a small stack of blankets.

He smiled, "Thanks Jack." He tucked two blankets around Alec, and then ruffled his hair before he looked for Ben again. "You ok?"

"Yeah…I just should've checked on him sooner," Ben muttered.

"He said they just suddenly hit…there was probably nothing you could do," Dean reassured.

"Dad, why does he get them worse than I do?" Ben asked.

"Well…remember when I found you?" Dad asked back. He knew right then that he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Yeah…" Ben slowly replied.

"Alec was missing, remember? And he'd been missing for months…" Dad said. "He wasn't able to take his pills the entire time he was missing…It took a long time to get his system back to how it was supposed to be. His right arm shook for about six months after I found him again…That's why he's left handed now…But I think that's why he gets them more than you do. His body's just more prone to seizure now because he'd been having seizures for months without anything to stop them."

"I didn't remember that…" Ben muttered. "Especially about his right arm. For some reason…I just always thought he was left handed…"

Dad put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, "Ben, he hid a lot from you in the beginning. Even after he decided you were ok, he hid things from you. He was afraid you took his place while he was missing, and he thought he needed the upper-hand on things, so he didn't tell you a lot. And you know him, he still hides when he's hurt. From both of us. Which pisses me off and I know it pisses you off."

"Dad…what if he keeps getting worse?" Ben asked, his voice soft and scared. Alec got them more than he did, but they seemed to be happening more frequently and with less warning each time. His brother was getting worse, even if he pretended he was fine and hid it from their Dad.

He pulled Ben over and wrapped him in a hug, resting his chin on the top of his head. Ben always worried about Alec, and it was worse after he'd had a seizure. "We just gotta remind him to keep taking his pills," Dean whispered.

"He's had four this month," Ben stressed. "And this one came with no warning…He took his pills this morning…"

"What?" Dean asked in concern. He didn't know that, he just figured Alec forgot again.

"He's been good about it," Ben said. "But he keeps getting seizures even with the pills…"

He felt frozen; Alec _was_ getting worse if that was true. "Ben, I'll do whatever it takes to keep you boys safe. If I have to track down some scientist from Manticore to get you boys a real fix, then I'll do that, ok? But let's just keep an eye on him now and I'll start lookin' into it again." He messed up Ben's hair, and said, "I'll be back in a little bit. Keep an eye on him, ok?"

"I will," Ben said, moving to Alec's feet and moving his legs so he could sit down, and then moving his legs again so he was resting partially across Ben's lap.

"Jack, chill here for a little, I'll be back," Dean said. Jack nodded and sat down in the chair beside Ben.

He knelt down and kissed Alec's forehead before he stood up again and walked out of the room. He needed to talk to Sam. Neither of them had caught on that Alec was getting worse, but Ben had. Now, he needed to find a way to fix this. He'd found out about the pills, he could find something better.

"Hey, how's he doin'?" Sam asked once he found him in the main room, sitting with Mom at the table. Sam took a look at his face, and he knew he was broadcasting everything to his brother. "What's wrong? What happened?"

He sank into the chair and buried his face in his hands. Sam started to get up, but he spoke before he could get far. "I didn't see it, but he's getting worse. Ben's kept track…he's had four this month…Just this month…"

"What?" Sam breathed out.

" _And_ he took his pills this morning," Dean said. "This one came on without any warning. No shaking hands beforehand, no back aches or headaches…He's getting worse, Sam."

"What do we do?" Mom asked.

"I don't know…But I can't lose him," Dean said.

"We'll figure it out," Sam said. "You figured out about the pills, we can figure this out."

"I…I think we'll have to track down one of the scientists," Dean said. He swallowed hard, but then admitted, "They know more about my boys than I ever will."

"You and I both know that's not true," Sam said.

"They knew about the seizures and the tryptophan…they're the only ones that would know," Dean said.

Sam took a deep breath before he nodded, "Alright, so let's start looking."

* * *

 _2010_

 _Dean looked for his little boy as soon as he got rid of the vampire. Without Sam around, he had to keep a closer eye on Alec, and the little boy had been acting weird before the hunt. He'd finally gotten Alec to relax a little, but now it was like he was back to how he used to be, only worse. Instead of going on and on about nothing, he wasn't talking at all._

 _"Alec?" Dean asked, concern coloring his tone. He didn't see Alec, and usually the little boy was like a shadow, always following him on silent feet. He jumped about eight times a day since Alec had come around._

 _He moved around the Impala, but then froze. Terror struck him when he saw Alec. His little boy was on the ground, seizing. Violent shakes wracked his tiny body, and he didn't know what to do. He really wished Sam was here now, he would know what to do. This was terrifying; he was responsible for Alec, he was supposed to keep him safe, but he had no idea what to do._

 _He dropped to his knees next to the little boy, and carefully turned him on his side. That's all he knew how to do. He was just about to call 911 when Alec's shaking finally slowed. He checked Alec's pulse, which was way too fast, but was there, and his breathing, which was shallow, but he was still alive. He brushed Alec's hair back and gently tapped his cheek to try to get him back._

 _"Dean?" Alec breathed out, barely opening his eyes._

 _He gave him a shaky smile and nodded, "Yeah kiddo, it's me." His own heart was about to beat out of his chest, but Alec was awake again, so they were taking a step in the right direction. "Can you tell me what happened?" Alec closed his eyes again, causing panic to flutter through him. "Alec, try to keep your eyes open, ok kiddo?" He practically begged._

 _Alec got his eyes open again, but groaned as a tremor shook his frame. He wanted to pick up the little boy and hold him close, but he didn't want to hurt him._

 _"I-I need some m-milk," Alec stuttered._

 _He frowned; that didn't make any sense, but he wasn't going to question it now. He scooped Alec up and held him close. His small body shook in his arms as he got in the car, keeping Alec in his lap even though it wasn't safe. He needed to keep Alec with him and make sure he was ok. Alec felt like his kid since he'd been taking care of him, but he wasn't sure Alec was ready for that yet. He would call him Dad in public, but he instantly went back to calling him Dean as soon as they weren't in public. He knew Alec wasn't ready yet, and he wasn't sure he was ready either, but it made him feel good when Alec called him Dad. He made sure they were in public at least once a day just so Alec would call him Dad._

 _"Hang in there, kiddo," Dean whispered when Alec shook against him. He kissed the side of Alec's head to try to comfort him, and secretly to reassure himself that Alec was probably going to be ok._

 _He pulled into the first gas station he saw, and carried Alec inside as fast as he could. He practically ran to the coolers in the back and grabbed a whole carton of milk before he ran back to the front. He sat Alec in the passenger seat once he was back at the Impala and twisted the top off of the milk. He gently held the carton to Alec's lips so he could take small sips of the milk. He wasn't sure how this was going to help, but maybe Alec could explain things to him once his shaking had stopped._

 _Alec looked up at him with scared, pain-filled eyes, but he could also see the trust shining through. He ran his hand through Alec's hair, and then rubbed his back. "Is the milk helping?"_

 _Alec nodded and whispered, "I'm sorry…"_

 _He frowned and knelt down in front of Alec and reassured, "There's nothin' to be sorry about, kiddo."_

 _Alec swallowed hard though and a tear slipped free, streaking down his cheek. He carefully wiped the tear away, but then Alec said, "I'm d-defective…"_

 _"Defective? Alec, you're not defective," Dean said. "You're the coolest kid I know."_

 _"I-I'm the only k-kid you know," Alec said through his tears._

 _Dean smiled, "You got me there, kiddo." He got Alec to calm down a little more and drink some milk before he asked, "What's up with the seizures, huh?" That had scared the crap out of him, but he was trying to lighten things up again. He didn't like hearing Alec say he was defective._

 _"I'm d-defective," Alec repeated._

 _"Alec, that doesn't make any sense, kiddo. You've gotta explain it to me, ok?" Dean prodded._

 _"I-I can't," Alec said, tears falling again._

 _"Ok, does it say in the file?" Dean asked, trying to soothe Alec's nerves. He hated Alec's file, but this might be the only way to get to the bottom of the seizures. Alec nodded, so he got up and ran to the trunk to get it. He'd hidden it since he hated it, but he hadn't gotten rid of it since he knew he might need it at some point. He brought it back over to the little boy since he couldn't be away from Alec right now; he was afraid he was going to have another seizure._

 _"Ok, let's see…" Dean muttered, flipping through the file. He'd had to force himself to look at it before, and he hadn't been able to make it through the whole thing. He hated seeing what they did to his little boy. He finally found a page with a red stamped 'DEFECTIVE' at the top. He scanned it and saw written, 'imbalance is present, trembling in hands and arms, tryptophan maintains balance, will continue tests.' "Tryptophan…what's that?" Dean asked, looking up._

 _Alec shrugged, keeping his eyes down, "I j-just know milk helps…"_

 _He ran his hand through Alec's hair again, "Ok, we'll keep milk on hand from now on, and I'll look into this, ok? But you are not defective. You hear me?" Dean asked. Alec's eyes were still down, but he did nod, so that was good. "Can you ride for a little while? Or do you want me to find a motel?"_

 _"I can ride," Alec whispered._

 _"Either way is fine with me," Dean said, hoping Alec wasn't just agreeing to what he thought he wanted._

 _"I'm ok," Alec reassured._

 _"Ok, I'll get you a pillow and blanket so you can take a nap in the back, ok?" Dean asked._

 _"Can I st-stay up here with you?" Alec asked, looking away from him._

 _Alec was really too little to sit up front with him, but he wanted to keep Alec with him too. "Ok, do you still want the pillow and blanket?" Alec nodded, so he put his file back in the trunk and grabbed the pillow and blanket he kept on hand in case Alec wanted it. He didn't know much about kids, but on long rides, Alec had gotten into taking naps, so he'd kept a pillow and blanket from one of the motels they had stayed at._

 _"Alright, let's get your legs back in…" Dean said once he was back by Alec. He was concerned that Alec hadn't moved at all since he'd sat him down; most of the time Alec was constant energy. He gently turned Alec, but froze when he whimpered in pain. "Are you ok? What hurts?" Dean asked quickly._

 _"I'm s-sorry, I'm ok," Alec said._

 _"Alec, you're not in trouble," Dean reassured. Alec was falling back to how he had been at first and he didn't want him to do that. "I just want to help. I don't want to move you if it hurts…or I don't want to drive for a while if it's going to make things worse…"_

 _Alec looked scared, but he admitted, "Everything h-hurts…"_

 _"Everything like…I don't know…Alec, you gotta be more specific, ok? I don't know what I'm doing here," Dean said._

 _"M-my muscles hurt," Alec whispered. "I'm really sore…"_

 _"All of your muscles or just the ones in your arms and legs?" Dean asked. Alec's arms and legs were still trembling, so he was guessing those hurt the most._

 _"All of them…"_

 _"Ok, let's just get your legs in and get you buckled, and then I'll get in and you can get comfortable, ok?" Dean asked, praying he was doing the right thing. Alec nodded again, and clenched his jaw when he moved him again. He got Alec situated and tucked the blanket around him before he went around and got in his seat. Alec almost immediately unbuckled and leaned against him instead of the pillow. He knew it wasn't safe for Alec to sit like that, but he needed the contact and he knew Alec needed it too._

 _"You ok like that?" Dean asked, rubbing Alec's shoulder._

 _"Mmmhmm," Alec hummed._

 _Alec's breathing evened out in sleep a few minutes later, and he tried to relax but he couldn't. He'd always been responsible for Sam, but this was different somehow. With Sam, Dad was always still the one in charge, but now it was just him. He was the one making the decisions and taking care of the little boy, and now that Sam was gone, he didn't have anyone to help him. He was still scared that he was going to screw this up, but he wasn't as scared as he had been._

 _Although, Alec's seizure had really freaked him out. He still didn't know what to do, but he was going to figure it out. He was going to do whatever it took to take care of Alec. The little boy deserved someone looking out for him, and he really did like the kid._

 _He drove for a few hours, until sleep started to tug at him. He would normally ignore what his body was telling him, and keep driving, but ever since Alec had found him he'd tried to take better care of himself. Alec needed him around, even if the little boy claimed he could take care of himself._

 _He parked outside a motel and carefully started to untangle from Alec, but the little boy grabbed his arm and wouldn't let him go. He ran his hand through Alec's hair and just picked him up and carried him inside. Alec would sometimes pretend to be asleep so he would carry him in, but he didn't mind. In fact, he liked it when he had to carry Alec since he felt needed. He knew Alec liked to act tough, and he was a tough little kid, but he was still a kid._

 _Alec grumbled a little when he moved him, but then fell asleep again once they were out of the car. He grabbed his duffle, which had some of his and Alec's clothes in it, and then got them a room for the night._

 _"Excuse me," A man said, stopping him just as he was about to take Alec inside. "But have you taken time out to think about God's plan for you?"_

 _He rolled his eyes; he was balancing a sleeping kid and a duffle in one arm while trying to get the door open with the other and this guy wanted to try to preach to him? He was a little busy. "Too frigging much, pal," Dean grumbled, finally getting the door open and getting inside. He wanted to get Alec in bed so he could get some real sleep, and then he would start researching about what to do when someone had seizures and what tryptophan was. He wanted to prevent Alec's seizures if he could help it._

 _He laid Alec down and tucked him in, but when he started to move away, a tiny hand reached out and grabbed his sleeve. He turned back to his little boy and saw he was looking back at him, his eyes bleary from sleep. "Dean?" Alec whispered._

 _"Hey kiddo," Dean said with a small smile, sitting down next to him. He brushed Alec's hair off his forehead and asked, "How ya feelin'?"_

 _"Tired…"_

 _"We're gonna rest up here for a while, ok? I'm gonna do some research, but you just sleep," Dean said._

 _"But you're g-going to stay here, r-right?" Alec asked, his voice weak._

 _"Yeah, I'm gonna stay here," Dean said. Alec was scared, and he was worried he was going to have another seizure, so he wasn't going anywhere. His phone started to ring, so he ruffled Alec's hair and said, "Go back to sleep, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Alec said, snuggling under the covers._

 _He chuckled before he finally answered his phone. "Yeah?" He hadn't checked the caller ID since he knew it was about to go to voicemail._

 _"Dean?" Cas asked._

 _"Yeah, it's me," Dean said, rolling his eyes. Who else would it be?_

 _"Dean, I think I know what might be able to kill Lucifer," Cas said. He had to give it to the angel, he didn't waste any time. "There's one thing that is known to kill almost anything."_

 _"We're talking about the Colt, right?" Dean asked. "I mean, as in_ the _Colt?"_

 _"We are," Cas replied. "I believe the demons have the Colt."_

 _"That doesn't make any sense," Dean argued. "Why would the demons keep a gun that kills demons?_

 _"What? What?" Cas asked in confusion. "Dean, I didn't…I didn't get that."_

 _"That's funny, talking to a messenger of God on a cell phone," Dean said with a small chuckle. "It's, you know, like watching a Hells Angel ride a moped."_

 _"This isn't funny," Cas stated. "The voice says I'm almost out of minutes."_

 _"Ok," Dean said, still trying not to laugh._

 _"Alright..." Cas said, sounding slightly lost._

 _"I'm telling you, Cas, the mooks have melted down the gun by now," Dean said, jumping back to the real subject. There was no way the Colt was still around. It wasn't possible._

 _"Well, I hear differently," Cas said. "And if it's true, and if you are still set on the insane task of killing the devil this is how we do it."_

 _He took a deep breath, and then let it back out, "Ok…where do we start?"_

 _"Where are you?" Cas asked._

 _"Kansas City," Dean said. He walked over to the window and peeked out to see which motel he'd stopped at. "Century Hotel, room 113."_

 _"I'll be there immediately," Cas said._

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean said to stop him from just popping into their room. Alec needed some rest and he was going to make sure it was uninterrupted. He knew they needed to work on finding a way to kill the devil, but Alec came first. "No, c'mon, man," Dean said, wracking his brain for a way to keep Cas where he was. He knew Cas didn't like Alec, so he knew not to bring up the real reason he needed some time. It would just be easier to lie. "I just drove like 16 hours straight."_

 _"Ok?" Cas asked, not understanding._

 _"I'm human and there's stuff I gotta do," Dean said, running his hand through his hair. Stuff like find out why his little boy was having seizures and how to stop them._

 _"What stuff?"_

 _"Eat, for example," Dean said. "In this case, sleep." He was pretty tired, and Alec actually slept when he did too. "I just need four hours once in a while." He looked over to Alec, making sure the kid was still asleep. He knew he was worn out, he just wished he knew what to do. "So you can pop in tomorrow morning," Dean finally said. That would give him enough time to sleep and research before Cas got there._

 _"Yes," Cas said in agreement._

 _He hung up before Cas could say anything else, and then walked back over to Alec. He scooted the little boy over and got into bed next to him. Alec slept with him every night, so now he couldn't sleep without him. It was like a little heater was sleeping next to him, and he felt better knowing Alec was still there and that he was ok. Alec didn't seem to mind either, since he never asked to have his own bed, and he always snuggled next to him once he was in bed. This time was no different. Alec immediately scooted closer to him and snuggled against his side, making him smile and wrap his arm around the little boy._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	6. Chapter 6

_So, this chapter is only a flashback, so hopefully no one is too disappointed. This picks up right after Alec finds Dean back from chapter 1 and the very beginning of season 5. Hopefully you all like it!_

* * *

 _Chapter 6_

 _2010_

 _Alec watched the older man, Bobby, as he walked around the room, and then sat down at the little table. Sam wasn't there anymore, he'd been gone when he woke up, and Dean was in the bathroom, so he was stuck by himself with Bobby. He liked Dean, and Dean had said Bobby was cool, but he wasn't so sure. Bobby seemed really grumpy, and he smelled kind of funny, kind of like Sulphur but maybe that was just old people. And he was kind of scary looking. Not Manticore scary, but after Manticore scary. People outside of Manticore had been a different kind of scary to him. He didn't know who he could trust, and some of them tried to hurt him before he had found Dean._

 _He was overjoyed that Dean was going to let him stay, but now he was a little nervous about it. He didn't know what he had been thinking when he escaped, this whole plan was ridiculous._

 _"Hey kiddo, you wanna watch TV?" Dean asked, walking out of the bathroom._

 _He wasn't so sure what TV was, but Dean suggested it, so it was probably something good. He nodded and let Dean pick him up from the middle of the bed. He didn't need to be carried, but it felt nice and he thought he could get away with it since Dean thought he was seriously hurt. Dean didn't know that he could handle a little gunshot wound. He'd told Dean he was his clone, but he wasn't sure the older man believed him. He wanted to stay, so he was glad Dean hadn't asked him too many questions about it yet. Maybe Dean would get to like him, and then he wouldn't be able to kick him out once he found out the truth._

 _Dean sat down on the sofa and turned something on. He recognized what Dean had called a TV; he'd seen one before, he just hadn't known what it was called. He leaned against Dean, and his arms hesitantly wrapped around him. It felt nice, safe. He felt like he finally had what he'd been missing. He was still wary of this situation, but he knew he could escape if he needed to. He was just going to enjoy this while it lasted._

 _"You watch TV, ok? I'm gonna help Bobby with some research," Dean said, patting his leg. He didn't want Dean to go, but he knew better than to argue. Arguing got him hurt, punished. He didn't want to screw this up, so he kept his mouth shut._

 _Dean walked over and sat down next to Bobby._

 _"I never would have guessed that your daddy was right," Bobby mutter under his breath. He was trying to be quiet so he wouldn't hear, but he hadn't told them how good his hearing was. He felt a little bad keeping everything a secret and eavesdropping on their conversation, but he was afraid that he would scare them if he told them, and he wanted to make sure they weren't going to kick him out._

 _"About what?" Dean asked, flipping through a book._

 _"About your brother," Bobby said. Alec saw Dean look up, and he wanted to know what they were talking about. "What John said…you save Sam or kill him. Maybe…"_

 _"Maybe what?" Dean growled._

 _"Maybe we shouldn't have tried so hard to save him," Bobby said. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't think Sam was dangerous. Sam got him food and clothes and he hadn't tried to kick him out or convince Dean this was a bad idea._

 _"Bobby," Dean started._

 _"He ended the world, Dean. And you and I weren't strong enough to stop him proper," Bobby said. "That's on us. I'm just saying, your dad was right."_

 _How would Sam have ended the world? Why would Sam's Dad want him dead? He really missed a lot when he'd been sleeping._

 _"Dad…" Dean said, getting up and walking over to his duffle bag. He turned around on the sofa and sat up on his knees to try to see what the older man was getting. Dean pulled out a plastic bag full of cards, but he still didn't know what was in it. "It's gotta be in here somewhere…" Dean muttered._

 _"What the Hell are you talking about?" Bobby said._

 _"Here," Dean said, holding one of the cards out and looking it over. Bobby got up as Dean walked back over, and he got up to see too. The curiosity was killing him and he wanted to know what they were talking about. "I don't believe it…"_

 _"What the Hell is it?" Bobby asked._

 _He looked up at Dean, who dropped his hand to rest on top of his head. He scrunched his nose, not sure if he liked that or not, but then Dean ruffled his hair and he did like that so he didn't say anything. "It's a card for my Dad's lockup in upstate New York. Read it," Dean said, handing Bobby the card._

 _"Castle Storage. 42 Rover Hill," Bobby said._

 _"Castle on a hill of forty-two dogs," Dean said with a smile, taking the card back from Bobby. Alec cocked his head to the side, not understanding what that had to do with anything. Dean was acting like it was the answer to everything, but it didn't make any sense._

 _"So you think your Dad had the Michael sword all this time?" Bobby asked._

 _"I don't know. I'm not sure what else Chuck could have meant," Dean said._

 _"Yeah, ok," Bobby said, nodding to himself. "It's good enough for me."_

 _He and Dean looked up at the same time, just as Bobby hit Dean, knocking him off his feet and into the barrier between the kitchen and the beds. Alec was so shocked that he reacted slower than he should. Bobby yanked Dean up again and slammed him back down before he snapped out of it and jumped onto Bobby's back. He put the older man in a chokehold, hoping to knock him out before this got any worse._

 _His eyes widened though when Bobby grabbed his arm, broke his hold, and threw him off like he was nothing. Bobby shouldn't have ever been able to break his chokehold unless he let him go. Bobby snarled at him and his eyes went completely black, making him gasp._

 _"Get away from him," Dean shouted._

 _Bobby smirked and grabbed him again, tossing him across the room before he could stop him. He hit the wall hard, making everything go white. He couldn't get his bearings just yet, but he did manage to stay conscious._

 _He immediately looked for Dean, hoping he was still ok, but Bobby's hand was around his throat and Dean was trying to hold him off. Alec tried to get back up, but he was still woozy from hitting the wall. He'd lost a lot of blood because of his gunshot wound, so he needed a minute to pull it back together._

 _He was aware enough though to see a woman walk in with another man behind her. They both smelled like Bobby did earlier, but he didn't know what it meant._

 _"I always knew you were a big, dumb, slow, pain in the ass, Dean. But I never dreamed you were so V.I.P.," the woman said. The woman looked at the table and saw a knife there, which she picked up and pointed at Dean, who was still struggling to hold Bobby off. Luckily, the woman didn't see him since he was still crumbled up in the corner, so maybe he could still help. "I mean, you're gonna ice the devil? You? If I'd have known that, I'd have ripped your pretty, pretty face off ages ago," the woman said, tracing the knife down Dean's cheek._

 _"Ruby," Dean growled._

 _"Try again. Go back further," the woman said with a smirk._

 _"Meg?"_

 _"Hi," Meg said, smiling. "These are the days of miracle and wonder, Dean. Our father's among us. You know we're all dreaming again for the first time since we were human? It's heaven on earth. Or Hell…We really owe your brother a fruit basket."_

 _"My God, you like the sound of your own voice," Dean quipped. Alec couldn't agree more. He didn't know what this woman was talking about, but she was annoying. The room had stopped spinning, so now was the best time to surprise attack._

 _He sprung up and blurred over to Meg. He plowed into her, sending her and the knife flying. He punched the man as soon as Meg was out of the way and tried to bring him down. He didn't know what was wrong with these people, but his hits weren't doing anything. Whoever they were, they were just as strong, or even stronger than he was._

 _He took a hard hit that knocked his breath away, but he ignored the pain and tried to improve his strategy. He ducked the punch headed his way and kicked out the guy's knee, dropping him to the ground._

 _"Bobby!" Dean yelled. He looked over at his DNA donor and saw that Bobby had the knife held over him. He wanted to go help, but his distraction cost him. He was thrown again, hitting another wall and sliding down. His vision was going dark, and he tried to fight it back, but that had been too much. He hoped Dean could handle this…_

* * *

 _"Now!" Meg yelled._

 _"Bobby! No!" Dean said, struggling against Bobby as he held the knife up high, ready to stab down, killing him. Bobby froze where he was for a moment, and then the black faded from his eyes. Dean closed his eyes as the knife suddenly came down; he didn't want to die. He didn't know Alec very well, but the kid needed someone to look out for him. He opened his eyes again just in time to see Bobby stab himself, flashing for a moment before he collapsed._

 _Now that he was released, he ran to Meg and the other demon, but he immediately got slammed into the wall. He lost his balance and fell to the floor, the demon coming after him._

 _He nearly breathed out in relief when Sam came into the room. He saw Sam go after Meg just as the other demon kicked him hard in the side, making him curl against the pain. He got kicked a few more times before he realized Bobby was lying next to him. He grabbed the knife out of Bobby and kicked the other demon's legs out from under him. Before the demon could do anything, he stabbed it, killing it for good._

 _Meg's eyes widened in surprise as he got up. She looked between him and Sam before she screamed and smoke came out of her mouth, making the woman collapse._

 _"Check on Bobby," Dean ordered as soon as the threat was gone. He wanted to check on Bobby too, but Alec hadn't popped back up after hitting the wall the last time. He needed to make sure the little boy was ok. Alec was his responsibility and he didn't want him to get hurt._

 _Alec was in a heap on the floor, his eyes were closed, but his little chest still rose and fell with his shallow breathing. He dropped down next to the little boy and gently checked his head and neck before he turned him over._

 _"Dean, what happened?" Sam asked from across the room._

 _"Bobby was possessed," Dean said. He made sure Alec's gunshot wound wasn't bleeding again, and he was surprised to find that it was ok. He picked Alec up and held him against himself so they could get out of there and get Bobby to the hospital. "C'mon, we gotta go."_

 _Sam started to get Bobby up, but stopped and asked, "Dean, what's this?"_

 _"What?" Dean asked with a sigh. He was throwing all of their things in the duffle with one hand while he held Alec with his other arm so they could get out of there faster, but he stopped and looked at his brother. Sam pulled something from the mattress and held it up. It looked like a file, but he'd never seen it before. He shrugged, "I don't know. Must've been from the last person or something…" It really didn't matter right now._

 _Sam opened the file though, and his eyes widened, "I think it's Alec's…"_

 _"What?" Dean asked, finally paying attention for real._

 _"It's got his picture in it," Sam said, turning the file so he could see it._

 _He grabbed the file from his brother and looked at the picture of the little boy. His hair was in a buzzcut in the picture and he didn't have any expression on his face. "What is it?" Dean asked._

 _"Whatever it is, he didn't want us to see it…" Sam said, grabbing Bobby's arm and getting him up. "We'll have to look at it later though…we gotta get Bobby to the hospital."_

 _He nodded, and hugged Alec a little closer. There was a picture of a barcode and a number at the top of the page. 331845739494. There was no name anywhere on the page, just X5-494 repeated every so often._

 _"Dean," Sam said, to snap him back to reality. "We gotta go."_

 _"Yeah…" Dean said, slowly closing the file and putting it in the duffle. He didn't know what this meant, but it didn't feel good. Alec had hidden that file for a reason, and maybe he didn't want to know what was in it._

 _"Dean?" Alec breathed out, barely moving against his shoulder._

 _"Hey kiddo," Dean said. "How ya doin'?"_

 _"I'm ok," Alec said, pushing against his shoulder to be put down._

 _He didn't let him go though, "Just sit tight, ok? We've gotta get Bobby to the hospital."_

 _"But…he tried to kill you…" Alec whispered._

 _"Alec, there's some complicated things going on. And I'll explain it all once we get this all sorted out," Dean said._

 _"How come his eyes were black?" Alec asked._

 _"Alec, just rest, ok? I'll explain everything later," Dean said._

 _"I'm not tired," Alec replied, pushing on his shoulder again. He set the little boy down, but he swayed, so he picked him right back up. "Dean, I can walk. I just needed to adjust."_

 _"No," Dean said. Alec was just a kid and he'd been knocked around pretty good. He needed to do a better job watching out for the kid. He really wanted to get Alec checked over at the hospital too, but he was afraid they would call social services on him. Alec had been shot, his sides were bruised, and now he probably had a concussion; if he admitted Alec into the hospital, they would immediately take him away. He wanted to keep Alec, he just needed to get better at protecting him. Alec hadn't even been with them a day and already he'd gotten hurt._

 _Sam suddenly came back in the room, having left with Bobby and come back without him even noticing. "Dean," Sam stressed._

 _He grabbed the bag and carried Alec out after Sam. Bobby was in the back, so he plopped Alec in between him and Sam and took off for the hospital._

 _"Can you tell me now what's going on?" Alec asked._

 _He shared a look with Sam over Alec's head, and Sam shrugged back to him. He was driving as fast as he could to get to the hospital, but this would be the only chance to tell Alec what was going on. He was going to have to sum up though, since it wasn't too far to the hospital._

 _"Alec, a demon was possessing Bobby," Dean said. "Bobby would've never tried to kill me."_

 _"A demon?" Alec asked, skeptically._

 _He took a deep breath and let it out before he said, "Yeah, demons are from Hell and they can possess people-"_

 _"Dean, he's going to need an anti-possession charm," Sam cut in. "We've got our tattoos, but he doesn't have anything."_

 _"I've got some in the trunk," Dean said._

 _"I could get a tattoo," Alec said._

 _"You're not getting a tattoo," Dean said. "Not until you're older." His eyes widened slightly when he realized what he'd said. He looked down at Alec and saw a small smile on his face as he looked out the window. He cleared his throat and said, "But um, those other two people were demons too."_

 _"Do demons usually smell like Sulphur?" Alec asked._

 _He and Sam both looked at Alec in surprise and Sam asked, "How'd you know that?"_

 _"They all smelled like Sulphur," Alec said with a shrug. Alec turned to look at Bobby in the backseat, and then asked, "Is Bobby going to be ok?"_

 _"I don't know, kiddo," Dean said honestly, ruffling Alec's hair and shooting a worried look to Bobby in the back. Sam had managed to slow the bleeding, but he didn't know how much damage the knife had done to Bobby. He hoped he would be ok._

* * *

 _"I want to go with you," Alec complained. Dean wanted him to wait in the car, but he wanted to help._

 _"Alec, it's too dangerous," Dean said. "And you're hurt, so you're waiting in the car."_

 _"I'm not that hurt and I can help," Alec argued._

 _"The answer's no," Dean stated. Fine, he would just wait until they went inside before he followed them. "Don't make me handcuff you in here," Dean threatened. "I want you to stay put, ok?"_

 _"Fine," Alec grumbled. He would give them ten minutes before he went in after them. Dean gave him a stern look before he shut the door and walked with Sam into the dingy old building. He hated waiting; he'd never been good at it at Manticore and that hadn't changed. And he had a bad feeling about this place. Sam and Dean were walking into something bad, and he wasn't there to help._

 _He didn't have a plan B if Dean died. He hadn't come up with one when he read that Dean was dead, and he didn't have one now. His only plan was to find Dean and wing it from there; that's all that had kept him going back at Manticore and even after, when he was out and slowly making his way across the country. Dean couldn't die now._

 _Making his decision, he disobeyed orders and left the Impala, but he didn't go where Sam and Dean disappeared. If something was wrong, then he would need the element of surprise. He crept around the building, and then jumped up to grab onto the gutters of the roof. He nearly let go though when the movement tore at his side. He should've found a better way to get on the roof, but this was the fastest and he was afraid there wasn't much time left._

 _He pulled himself up and silently walked across the roof until he found an air vent to crawl through. He made his way through the vent until he finally heard voices. It wasn't as simple as Dean thought, which was exactly why he should have gone with him._

 _"I'm a vessel?" Dean asked in disbelief. He didn't know what that meant, but it didn't matter. He would get Dean to explain it to him later._

 _"You're_ the _vessel. Michael's vessel," a man said. He looked down and saw an older looking man dressed in a suit with two other guys flanking him. Sam and Dean were outnumbered, which meant they needed his help. He slowly worked on getting the screws out of the air vent as quietly as he could._

 _"How? Why? Why me?" Dean asked._

 _"Because you're chosen!" The man said. "It's a great honor, Dean." If it was such a great honor, then why did the guy have to say it. If something was an honor, then it should be obvious. He didn't like this guy._

 _"Oh, yeah. Yeah, life as an angel condom. That's real fun. I think I'll pass, thanks," Dean said. He wasn't sure what a condom was, but Dean said something about angels. He guessed if demons existed, maybe angels did too._

 _"Joking. Always joking," The man said, shaking his head. "Well…no more jokes." The man raised his hand in a finger gun and pointed at Dean before he shifted over to Sam. He wasn't sure where this guy was going with the finger gun act, but it was weird. "Bang," the man said._

 _Sam cried out in pain as he fell over, clutching his leg. "You son of a bitch!" Dean yelled._

 _"Keep mouthing off, I'll break more than his legs," The man said. "I am completely and utterly through screwing around. The war has begun. We don't have our general. That's bad." The man gave Dean a hard look before he continued, "Now, Michael is going to take his vessel and lead the final charge against the adversary. You understand me?"_

 _"How many humans die in the crossfire, huh? A million? Five? Ten?" Dean asked._

 _"Probably more. If Lucifer goes unchecked, you know how many die? All of them. He'll roast the planet alive," the man said. He recognized the name Lucifer from Manticore. They had been taught a lot since it was easy for them to learn. He thought a lot of it was useless, but he still remembered it._

 _"There's a reason you're telling me this instead of just nabbing me," Dean said. "You need my consent. Michael needs my say-so to ride around in my skin." None of this made any sense. If he hadn't seen Bobby's eyes go black, and this guy break Sam's legs with a finger gun, then he would have thought his DNA donor was insane._

 _"Unfortunately, yes," the man said._

 _"Well, there's gotta be another way," Dean said, sounding slightly desperate._

 _"There is no other way," the man said. "There must be a battle. Michael must defeat the serpent. It is written."_

 _"Yeah, maybe," Dean muttered. "But, on the other hand…eat me. The answer's no." He smiled; he liked his DNA donor even if he was insane._

 _"Ok, how about this?" The man asked. "Your friend Bobby, we know he's gravely injured. Say yes, and we'll heal him. Say no, he'll never walk again." He looked to Dean to see what his reaction was going to be, hoping he was going to stand his ground._

 _"No," Dean said._

 _"Then how about we heal you from…stage-four stomach cancer?" The man asked._

 _His eyes widened as Dean doubled over, coughing. Dean spit into his hand, and Alec could see blood. "No!" Alec yelled, without meaning to. He acted without thinking, but Dean was the only person he had in this world and he wasn't going to let him die._

 _He broke through the vent and dropped down on the man. He pulled out the guy's hair and held on as he tried to throw him off. One of the other guys grabbed him though and threw him across the room. He hit the wall hard, which he was really getting tired of, but he still fell to the ground._

 _"Zachariah, leave him alone!" Dean yelled. He tried to get up, but he immediately fell back over, clutching his stomach in pain._

 _"What is that thing?" Zachariah asked slowly, disgust clear in his voice._

 _"What?" Dean asked. He looked over to him, and he could see concern in the older man's face._

 _"Where did you get that abomination?" Zachariah asked. Sam and Dean shared a look, but he scooted back against the wall. He didn't like this guy, and since one of the others had easily pulled him off and tossed him he thought they could be like the demons._

 _"What are you-" Dean started, but Zachariah cut him off._

 _"This thing is not human," Zachariah said. "At least not completely. It is not one of God's children." Zachariah turned to one of his men and ordered, "Dispose of it."_

 _"No!" Dean yelled. "Do whatever you want to me! Just don't touch him!"_

 _Zachariah gave Dean a sickening smile, "You're going to say yes, Dean." Zachariah looked at him, and he couldn't help the flicker of fear he felt. "Let's see how it does without its lungs…"_

 _Zachariah snapped his fingers, and suddenly he couldn't breathe. He gasped and tried to draw in air, but there was nothing. He tried not to panic; he could go without air for four minutes before he passed out, but that was when he had a breath to begin with. He was already starting to feel dizzy._

 _"Let him go!" Sam and Dean yelled at the same time._

 _"Oh, I'm just getting started," Zachariah said with a smirk. He sounded like he was underwater though; he didn't have much time left before he passed out._

 _Suddenly there was a bright light, but he didn't know if he imagined it or not. It got even more confusing when one of the guys collapsed, and another man wearing a trench coat appeared. The trench coat man started to fight the third guy, but everything was starting to go dark._

 _"Hang in there kiddo," Dean said, pulling him off the floor to hold him against his chest. He still couldn't breathe and his heart was pounding, but he felt a little better now. Whoever these people were, he was no match for them. He thought he could handle anything thanks to Manticore, but he was wrong._

 _"How are you-" Zachariah started._

 _"Alive?" Trench coat asked. "That's a good question. How did these two end up on that airplane? Another good question. Because the angels didn't do it. I think we both know the answer, don't we?"_

 _"No. That's not possible," Zachariah said._

 _"It scares you," Trench coat said. "Well, it should. Now, put these boys back together and go. I won't ask twice."_

 _He gasped when he could suddenly breathe again. Dean's arms wrapped tighter around him and he ran his hand through his hair. He could feel Dean's heart pounding and realized his donor had really been afraid for him._

 _"You're ok," Dean whispered. He didn't know if he was reassuring him or himself, but it didn't matter, he felt better either way._

 _"You two need to be more careful," trench coat said._

 _He was suddenly lifted up and held against Dean, but he didn't care that he looked pathetic, it was kind of nice to know someone might actually care about him. "Yeah, I'm starting to get that. Your frat brothers are bigger dicks than I thought," Dean said._

 _"I don't mean the angels," trench coat said. "Lucifer is circling his vessel. And once he takes it, those hex bags won't be enough to protect you." Trench coat put his hands on Sam and Dean's chests, and they both gasped. "It needs it too," trench coat said, putting his hand against his chest. There was a burning in his chest, and he tried to pull away, but Dean held him where he was._

 _"What the Hell was that?" Dean asked. Whoever trench coat was, Dean trusted him enough to let him do whatever he did to them._

 _"An Enochian sigil. It'll hide you from every angel in creation, including Lucifer," trench coat said._

 _"What? Did you just brand us with it?" Dean asked, rubbing his back. It was making him tired, especially since he'd hit the wall a few times that day, was bleeding again, and hadn't been able to breathe. He was tough, but he could only take so much._

 _"No. I carved it into your ribs," trench coat said. Trench coat looked at him briefly before he looked at Dean again. "Why must you insist on making things more difficult for yourself?"_

 _Dean's arms tightened around him again. "Cas, he's my kid."_

 _"He's not God's creation," Cas said._

 _"I don't care," Dean said. "He's mine and nothin's going to change that." He felt better than he ever had before, knowing Dean wasn't going to listen to these guys and he was going to keep him._

 _Cas nodded, "Fine. But the angels won't like it. He is an abomination and it is against our laws to allow it to exist."_

 _"You're not touchin' my kid," Dean growled._

 _Cas and Dean just looked at each other for a moment, making an awkward silence, which Sam broke. "Hey, um, Cas, were you really dead?"_

 _"Yes," Cas stated._

 _"Then how are you back?" Dean asked. Cas looked at them all one more time before he disappeared. "Are you ok?" Dean asked him as soon as Cas was gone, acting like the guy appearing and disappearing in thin air was normal…he hit his head pretty hard, so maybe that was playing a part in all of this too._

 _"I'm fine," Alec answered._

 _"I thought I told you to stay in the car," Dean grumbled. He sounded mad, and now he felt bad that he'd disobeyed orders. He'd never felt bad about disobeying orders before, he'd just been ready for the punishment, but now he felt bad._

 _"I'm sorry," Alec whispered._

 _Dean held him close before he said, "I just want to try to keep you safe, ok? Angels and demons…they'll tear you apart and I don't want anything to happen to you."_

 _"I'm sorry," Alec said again._

 _"It's ok," Dean reassured. "Everything's ok."_

* * *

 _He'd never felt so scared in his life as he did when Alec dropped down from the ceiling. He had just found out he had a kid, and he'd already almost lost him. He should have known Alec wouldn't listen to him; the kid looked just like him, and since he was his clone, he should have known it'd be in his DNA._

 _Alec was cuddled against his chest, sleeping in his lap as they sat with Bobby in the hospital. They were waiting for the doctor to come back and give them an update. Sam had Alec's file and was reading through it as they waited. He didn't want to see it; from what he saw, those people didn't treat Alec like he was a person, like he was a human being. Sam was pale as he read it, which let him know exactly how bad it was._

 _"Dean, does he have a tattoo anywhere?" Sam asked, breaking the silence._

 _"Yeah…he's got a barcode on the back of his neck," Dean said. He saw it in the bathroom, but he'd forgotten to ask about it._

 _"That's what this number is," Sam said. "It's gotta be."_

 _"You serious?" Dean asked._

 _Sam nodded, "I think that's how they told them apart…There're more numbers in here that aren't his, but I don't know what they mean."_

 _"So, everything he told us is true," Dean said._

 _"There's a lot more that he didn't tell us," Sam said._

 _"Like what?" Dean asked._

 _"Like the fact that along with your DNA, they added feline DNA," Sam said. His heart skipped a beat hearing that. He didn't know what it meant. But Sam wasn't done yet, "He's got heightened senses too…like he's got night vision, can kind of zoom in on things, beyond excellent hearing, he can run so fast, he blurs, genius level IQ, jumping, strength, accelerated metabolism and healing…Dean, the list goes on and on."_

 _"So, what you're saying is, my kid's a superkid?" Dean asked._

 _Sam nodded, "I think so…"_

 _"Cool," Dean said with a smile. He knew his kid would be awesome, he just didn't know how awesome._

 _"Dean, c'mon, we need to be serious about this," Sam said._

 _"I am serious," Dean said. "That's awesome!"_

 _"Dean-"_

 _"He's my kid, Sam. Nothin's changing that," Dean stated. He knew what Sam was trying to get at; that Alec could be dangerous and they needed to be careful. The one thing he knew for sure was that Alec was his kid and no one was taking him away. "What else does the file say? Anything important?" Dean asked to get Sam on a different topic._

 _Sam sighed, "There's a lot in here you won't want to know…"_

 _"Do I need to know it?" Dean asked._

 _"I don't know," Sam admitted. "If he's not going to talk about it, then maybe you do need to read it later on to know what's going on with him. If he's sticking around for the long haul, then you'll need to know what happened here."_

 _"He's not going anywhere," Dean said._

 _"Dean, they tortured him," Sam said, his voice barely above a whisper. "From what they did…he shouldn't be alive…"_

 _"Sam, I…I don't want to hear it," Dean said. "Not until he wants me to know it."_

 _"He hid this file from us," Sam said. "He doesn't want us to see it."_

 _"I know, so I'm gonna wait until he's comfortable around us to ask him about it," Dean said._

 _Sam nodded in understanding, and then closed the file. It made him sick to think about what they could have done to Alec. Just knowing they called him by a number was enough to make him want to burn that place to the ground._

 _Before he and Sam could talk about it anymore, the doctor came back to give them the news. He stood up, holding Alec against his chest as he slept, and prayed that this guy would give them something good._

 _"Mr. Singer…I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it's unlikely you'll ever walk again," the doctor said._

 _"Unlikely to walk again?!" Bobby yelled, suddenly coming to life for the first time in hours. "Why, you snot-nosed son of a bitch! Wait till I get outta this bed!"_

 _The doctor's eyes widened and he quickly darted out of the room. Alec wiggled in his arms; the yelling must have disturbed his sleep._

 _"I'll use my game leg and kick you friggin' ass! Yeah! You better run!" Bobby yelled after the doctor. It was silent for a moment, but he honestly had no idea what to say. Bobby looked over at him and Sam and asked, "You believe that yahoo?"_

 _"Screw him," Dean said, shifting Alec slightly to get a better hold on him as he slowly took a step. "You'll be fine."_

 _"So, let me ask the million-dollar question…what do we do now?" Sam asked._

 _"Well. We save as many as we can for as long as we can, I guess. It's bad. Whoever wins, heaven or hell, we're boned," Bobby said, his voice already defeated._

 _"What if we win?" Dean asked, rubbing Alec's back as he walked forward. Bobby looked back at him like he was crazy, but he didn't care. "I'm serious. I mean, screw the angels and the demons and their crap apocalypse. Hell, they want to fight a war, they can find their own planet. This one's ours, and I say they get the Hell off it. We take 'em all on. We kill the devil. Hell, we even kill Michael if we have to. But we do it our own damn selves." He really was serious. They could fight; they had to fight. Alec deserved to have a life, so they needed to fight and win._

 _"And how are we supposed to do all this, genius?" Bobby asked sarcastically._

 _"I got no idea," Dean said with a shrug. He hadn't thought that far ahead; he just wanted to get Bobby and Sam fighting with him. "But what I do have is a GED and a give-'em-Hell attitude, and I'll figure it out."_

 _Bobby and Sam shared a look before Bobby muttered, "You are nine kinds of crazy, boy…"_

 _"It's been said," Dean replied with a smile. He'd wanted to give up back on the plane, but now he couldn't. Alec sleeping against his shoulder was enough to give him hope that they could do this._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	7. Chapter 7

_So, this chapter has flashbacks from the beginning of season 6 and from the episode 'Caged Heart'. Hope you guys like it._

* * *

Chapter 7

Present

He woke up with his head resting in someone's lap, their hand running through his hair. He couldn't really remember what had happened, but it was serious, whatever it was. He'd freaked out his family, and now they were going to stick to him like glue. He really wouldn't have minded, except they hadn't let him do anything since he'd gotten shot, and he was already pretty tired of it.

He groaned when a tremor suddenly shook his frame. Ok, now he knew what had happened.

"Shh, you're ok," Dad soothed, gently rubbing his chest.

"I had a seizure…" Alec slurred.

"Two seizures," Dad corrected. "And you pulled your stitches again."

He groaned again and asked, "How long am I on lockdown now?"

"How 'bout…until I can find a solution for your seizures," Dad asked back.

He opened his eyes to scowl at his Dad. "What do you mean 'find a solution'?" Alec asked suspiciously. "You found the solution eight years ago…I take pills to keep the seizures off."

"And that's not working anymore," Dad said. "Ben told me you took your pills this morning, and you still had a seizure."

"But I'm recovering from a bullet wound," Alec pointed out. He had to reassure his Dad that he was ok or else he'd never get to leave the bunker again. "I should've just laid around on the sofa all day like you told me to. Instead, I walked all the way to the range and shot at targets for a long time and it wore me out. Dad, I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Alec," Dad said with a sigh. "Ben told me you've had four seizures this month. You're getting worse…"

He tried to sit up, but his arms were too weak. Dad helped him, even though he knew he wanted him to stay laying down. "Dad, I get seizures, and I get them a lot. Some months I have more than others, it doesn't mean I'm getting worse," Alec said, turning to face him.

"Alec…I'm scared," Dean admitted. He didn't know if Alec was actually getting worse or not. When he talked to Ben, it was obvious that Alec was getting worse and they were about to lose him. But now that he was talking to Alec, he felt better. Alec always did that; he always made the situation look better than it was because he was an optimist and because he didn't like to admit it when he was hurt. "What if you are getting worse? What am I gonna do without you?"

"Dad, I'm not going anywhere," Alec reassured. "Ben's just freaking out and now he's making you freak out too. I've had seizures my whole life, and yeah, they're worse than they were when I was nine, but I'm ok."

"You've got a messed up view of what ok is," Dean muttered. And he knew that was his fault. Alec got that from him along with every other messed up thing about him. It was all his fault, but he was going to find a way to fix the seizures. He should have found a way to fix them after Alec had his first seizure. He shouldn't have settled on the temporary fix, he should have kept looking.

Alec smiled and said proudly, "And I've got you to thank for that."

"Alec," Dean said with another sigh.

"I know what you're thinking," Alec said before he could say anything else. "But guess what, Dad, I love the DNA you gave me. And the seizures are nothing. I'm just sore for a few days, and that's it."

"That's not it," Dean argued. "You could go into a coma if one of your seizures gets too bad. You nearly lost the function of your right arm because of them. And the pills are not enough. Ben said you took your pills this morning and you still had a seizure. So, if there's a way to fix them, I'm going to find it and that's final."

Alec finally nodded, but then asked, "How're you going to find a way to fix them?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll find something," Dean said.

* * *

 _2011_

 _"Alec's gone, Bobby! I've looked everywhere for him!" Dean said in distress. He paced as he talked to Bobby on his cell. He was in Alec's room at Lisa's house, but his room was a mess, and his boy never left his room a mess. He was meticulously organized, and he knew that it was because of his militant upbringing. But this was how he found it; empty, destroyed, and no Alec. Sam was gone and now Alec was gone too. But he'd seen Sam fall into the pit, he didn't know where Alec was and neither did Lisa._

 _Alec would've never run away from him, so something had taken him._

 _"Alright, calm down, you're not gonna find him by freakin' out," Bobby said._

 _"All year everything's been normal," Dean said. "I gave him normal and nothing came for us, but now something's got him and I don't know what to do. Bobby, what am I gonna do if I can't find him?! Alec's my kid…I gotta find him!"_

 _"Dean…get over here…there's somethin' you need to know and this way we can look for Alec together," Bobby said._

 _"Bobby, I can't leave," Dean said. "What if he gets free from whatever took him and comes back here? I have to be here for him." He sat down on Alec's bed and picked up his blanket. It was the blanket he'd kept from one of the motels back when Alec had first found him. Alec couldn't sleep without it now. How was he going to sleep if he didn't have his blanket? How was he himself going to sleep without Alec around?_

 _"Lisa can stay there," Bobby tried to reason. "She'll call you if he comes home."_

 _"No Bobby, whatever took him, it got him here," Dean said. "I'm not leaving until I find a clue…something to follow…anything to tell me where he is."_

 _"Alright…we're comin' to you," Bobby said._

 _"We?"_

* * *

 _"You're alive this whole time and you don't tell me?!" Dean yelled at his brother. "What the Hell is wrong with you?!"_

 _"Dean, I wanted you and Alec to have a chance at normal and you did that," Sam argued. "Alec got to go to school and you got to be his Dad and you got to be with Lisa. I don't see the problem."_

 _"The problem? The problem is that we both grieved for you! We both thought you were dead! I lost my brother and Alec lost his Uncle. Alec didn't even talk to me for a month!" Dean yelled. "We pretended things were normal, but they weren't! And now Alec's gone."_

 _"Bobby said we'd find him," Sam tried to defend._

 _"We better find him," Dean growled._

 _"Dean, calm down," Bobby said. "We will find him, and I agreed with Sam. I thought you and Alec needed a chance at normal. Alec needed to get to be a kid and you needed to get to be his Dad."_

 _"You knew?" Dean asked. He wanted to yell, but his voice had lost all of its strength. Alec was gone, Sam was back…everything had changed. In one day, everything had changed._

 _Bobby sighed, "Yeah, I knew…"_

 _"You know what? Me and Alec are never going to be normal! He tried to fit in with the other kids, but he's not like them. He's seen things and done things that those kids would never even begin to understand! He was created in a lab for God's sake! We lied the entire time we pretended to be normal!" Dean yelled, getting his strength back. "Lisa and Ben tried to help, but they couldn't understand what we've been through. We were just pretending!"_

 _Sam and Bobby let him get it all out, and then Bobby said, "There's somethin' else you should know too."_

 _He took a deep breath, and let it out in a huff. "Great…might as well come out with everything now, right?" Dean asked sarcastically._

 _"Samuel Campbell, your Grandfather, is back too," Bobby said, ignoring his sarcasm. "Sam's been workin' with your cousins on your Mom's side of the family for the past year."_

 _Dean clenched his jaw and turned away from both of them. He couldn't deal with this right now; Sam was back, and had been back this whole time and hadn't told him, and Alec was still missing. His concern was Alec. He took a deep breath and finally said, "I just want to find Alec."_

* * *

Present

He rubbed his eyes as he sat back from the table. Ben was asleep next to him, resting his head on his arms and snoring softly, while his Mom flipped through Dad's journal across from him, and Jack sat on his other side, peeking at his laptop while he searched. They were looking for anything that would help with the seizures, but so far, they hadn't found diddly squat.

He didn't know what they were going to do if Alec really did get worse. The only thing they could do was give him more pills, but if those weren't working anymore, then they had a real problem. It was possible that Dean was just freaking himself out, but if there was even a slim chance that they could lose Alec, then they needed to find a way to fix it. They'd come too close to losing the boys before, he wasn't going to let it happen again.

"Sam," Mary said softly. He looked up in surprise, and then Mary said, "We should probably wake Ben up and tell him to go to bed, right?"

"He won't go," Sam said, giving his sleeping nephew a soft smile. "He'll either start researching some more or go back to the rec room to hang out with Alec. This is probably the most rest he's going to get for a while."

"But he looks so uncomfortable," Mary said.

He rubbed Ben's back, and then messed up his hair to see if he would wake up, but he didn't. "Besides, he's out," Sam said. "I'd have to carry him to bed, and he gets more pissed off than Alec does when one of us carries him." He missed the days when the boys were little, when he could just carry them to bed or give them a hug to try to make them feel better. It was just easier to comfort them back then. Now, they were teenagers, and hugs and comfort had to come in small doses for them before it got to be too much. Unless something happened to him or Dean, then it was hugs and clingy twins for days. He smiled just thinking about the last time the boys refused to leave him alone, getting him anything he needed and sticking to his side like glue. They were worse than Dean when he was hurt, but he wouldn't change it for the world.

"Sam…I know I haven't shown much interest, but now I want to know," Mary said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "I want to know…well, everything."

He took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. That was a lot of information to cover, and without his brother there to help. But Mom wanted to know, she actually wanted to know, and he wanted to tell her. He just wished he knew how to start. "I don't even know where to start…" He finally said.

"Ok, um, how about start with Alec and Ben," Mary said. "I don't even know how you boys got them."

He smiled a little and said, "Well, Alec found us. He showed up about eight years ago and pretty much told us we were adopting him. He actually broke into our motel room and sat there, waiting for us, and told us he was Dean's clone." The little twerp was too cute for his own good, and he knew it. He'd gotten his way just by flashing them a small smile and big puppy-dog eyes; it had been almost impossible to tell him no back in those days.

"Wait, he was alone? Ben wasn't with him?" Mary asked.

"No, Ben wasn't with him," Sam said. "We had Alec about a year and a half before he went missing."

"What?" Mary breathed out.

He took another deep breath; he hated this part since he wasn't even there for his brother or his nephew when it happened. He was there, but not really. He hadn't had a soul at the time, and he hadn't even cared that Alec was missing. They had found Ben, and he hadn't even reacted. He could hardly be bothered to learn the difference between Alec and Ben. He didn't care either way. He hated that time in his past. But it had happened, and Mom wanted to know. He didn't have to go into the part without his soul; he just had to tell her how they got Ben and Alec for now. "It's really complicated, but Alec was gone for months before our friend Bobby got a hit on a kid with Alec's description. We took off, but we didn't find Alec. We found Ben."

"He was by himself?" Mary asked, looking at Ben in concern.

He nodded, "Yeah, he was by himself, and he'd been by himself for two years. He and Alec escaped from this place called Manticore, but Ben escaped six months before Alec. Ben didn't know Alec existed, and Alec only found out about Ben because of the escape. They tortured him because they wanted to make sure he wouldn't follow in his twin's footsteps. But that backfired and actually gave him the idea to escape and find us. But, when we found Ben, we took him in and took care of him, but Alec was still missing, and we didn't find him for another few months."

"Where was he?" Mary asked.

He hesitated before he said, "Crowley had him."

"What?!" Mary exclaimed, standing up. "Crowley kidnapped Alec?! And he's still alive?!"

"Mom, it's more complicated than that," Sam said. "We've been through a lot and I'll try to explain it all, but just let me get through this part, ok? It has to do with the seizures and the twins, so it'll answer at least a few questions."

"Ok," Mary said, slowly sitting down again.

"Ok, so, Crowley had kidnapped Alec, but we found him. He was a mess though when we found him. He'd been taking pills for his seizures, but he'd been tortured for months and hadn't been able to take them," Sam said.

"So that's why he's got them worse than Ben," Mary said.

"Yeah, but he's been good about taking them," Sam said. "It's bad that he's getting seizures even with the pills…"

"We'll find something, Sam," Mary said.

"I know…I just hope we find something before he really does get worse," Sam said.

* * *

 _2011_

 _"Dean, I got a hit on a kid with Alec's description," Bobby said over the phone._

 _His heart leapt from finally hearing some good news for once. It had been way too long since Alec had disappeared, and he'd almost lost all hope, but this could be his little boy. "Where is he?" Dean asked, breathlessly._

 _"California," Bobby said. "Now, don't get your hopes up too high. It might not be him-"_

 _"Bobby, where in California?" Dean asked impatiently._

* * *

 _He drove faster than he ever had before, ignoring every speed limit sign he flew by, and ignoring Sam telling him he needed to slow down. He was surprised Sam was showing any interest at all, but he was. Something was definitely wrong with his brother, he just didn't know what it was. He would figure it out right after he got Alec back._

 _He only had the town that Bobby's contact had seen Alec, but he would tear the town apart to find his little boy. He parked the Impala and ran down the streets, searching for any sign of his little boy. Sam kept up with him, even though he could tell he would rather be anywhere else but here._

 _But it was actually Sam who spotted Alec. His brother hit his arm and pointed down a deserted alleyway. It only took him a second to spot the little boy, and he instantly ran towards him. The little boy looked up in alarm and quickly backed away from him._

 _"Alec?" Dean asked, hesitantly. He looked like his little boy; he had dirty blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a barcode; he was a spitting image of his little boy, but he could tell the boy didn't recognize him. "Alec, it's me…Dean…your Dad, remember?" The little boy shook his head and he wracked his brain to come up with a way to get Alec to remember. "Your designation…your designation is X5-494, right?"_

 _The little boy shook his head again and whispered, "I'm X5-493…my name's Ben."_

 _Time seemed to freeze. This wasn't Alec. This wasn't his little boy, but another little boy that looked just like him and looked as old as Alec. He swallowed hard, but then said, "Ben…um, my name's Dean. I have a little boy that looks just like you…" He reached out for Ben, but the little boy immediately pulled away from him. "Do you have anyone that looks out for you? Parents…or um…a grown up?"_

 _"No," Ben answered._

 _"Ok, hold on," Dean said, slowly reaching for his wallet. He knew any sudden movement could get him killed. If Ben was like Alec, then the little boy would be dangerous if he thought he was a threat to him. He pulled his wallet out and held out a picture of him and Alec that Bobby had taken last year. "See, that's my boy, Alec." He pointed to Alec, and Ben looked at the picture for a moment before he looked back up at him. "And that's me. He looks just like you, doesn't he?"_

 _Ben nodded, and then asked, "You said…X5-494?"_

 _"Yeah, he's got a barcode on the back of his neck and he escaped from a place called Manticore. Does that ring any bells?" Dean asked. Ben had flinched when he said Manticore, so he knew the kid knew about it. "Alec escaped about a year and a half ago."_

 _"What?" Ben breathed out._

 _"About a year and a half ago…He escaped and somehow found me. I'm his DNA donor," Dean said. "Did you escape too?"_

 _Ben nodded, "Two years ago…"_

 _"And you've been by yourself since then?" Dean asked. Ben nodded again; his eyes filled with tears and he ducked his head so he wouldn't see. "Do you wanna come with me? I'm guessin' I'm your DNA donor too, so that means I'm kinda like your Dad…" Yes or no, Ben was coming with him. Ben was his kid, and he was going to look after him. He just knew he needed to take it slow thanks to his experience with taking care of Alec._

 _"Where's Alec?" Ben asked instead of answering him._

 _"Something took him and I'm trying to find him again," Dean said._

 _"It was Manticore," Ben said, his eyes wide with fear. "They got him. They're looking for all of us."_

 _"Ben, I don't think Manticore has him," Dean said. "I've got someone who's helping me look, and he'd know if Manticore had him." Ben shook his head no, but didn't say anything else. "C'mon buddy, let's get off the street, ok? I can get ya some food and some new clothes…how does that sound?"_

 _Ben finally nodded and slowly stood up. He reached out his hand to see if Ben would take it, and smiled when he did. Ben smiled up at him and held his hand tighter._

 _His heart was pounding, but he was trying to keep it together for the little boy._ His _little boy. He had two little boys now…twins it looked like. He could barely keep Alec alive, and now he had another little boy…what was he going to do?_

* * *

Present

Alec groaned when he picked him up, but he would be more comfortable sleeping in his own bed. He knew he liked the sofa, but that was only because he thought he was missing out when he was in his room. The sofa hurt his neck anyway, and he knew his kid could handle a stiff neck, but why add to his injuries when they didn't need to. No one was in the rec room anyway, so Alec wasn't missing anything.

He tucked Alec in and started to leave, but Alec stopped him. "Dad?"

"Hey kiddo," Dean said, turning back to his son. He hadn't been able to stay away for long, which was expected, but it still made him nervous. He was supposed to take care of Alec and watch out for him, and he was still kicking himself for not being there when his son needed him. "How're you feeling?"

"Sore…" Alec mumbled.

"Go back to sleep, ok? You'll start to feel better when you wake up again," Dean reassured.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell Ben to go to bed too? …Might have another seizure…" Alec said, looking away from him.

"Yeah, I'll find him," Dean said. "But you shouldn't have another seizure tonight."

He started to leave again, but Alec stopped him again. "Dad?"

"Yeah kiddo?" Dean asked with a small chuckle. Alec always did this when he didn't want him to leave, but he didn't want to say it out loud.

Alec hesitated before he asked, "What happens if I do get worse and we can't find anything?"

He walked back over to Alec and sat down next to him. "Alec, I'm going to do everything I can to find a way to fix this." Alec clenched his jaw and looked away from him, trying to hold back tears. "Alright, scoot over," Dean said, getting into bed next to Alec.

"I'm ok," Alec whispered.

"I know," Dean said, knowing he needed to distract Alec right now. To help him, he needed to change the topic. Alec was going to make himself sick thinking about this. But it might help Alec more if he came up with a plan, a way that he would make sure he would be ok, anything for him to hold onto until they really could figure this out. "Ok, here's what we're gonna do," he finally said. He pulled Alec against himself and wrapped his arm around his shaking shoulders. "Right now, Sam, Mary, Ben, and Jack are all looking into anything that might help. You know how Sam and Ben are…they won't stop until they find something, right?"

"Right…" Alec breathed.

"If they find anything, we'll try it, whatever it is," Dean said. "We'll try magic, faith healers, medicine, Hell, we can both start eating better, ok? We'll try everything until we find a way to stop them."

"And what if none of it works?" Alec asked, reaching over to grip his shirt, to reassure himself that he wasn't alone.

"Then I'll track down one of the scientists from Manticore and make them stop the seizures," Dean said. He hated that Alec flinched when he said Manticore, but that was his last resort. "Alec, I'm not losing you. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, and if that means finding those bastards that tortured you, I'll do it."

"Dad-"

"Alec, try not to worry about it, ok? You're just gonna make yourself sick worrying about it, but you know I'm going to find something," Dean said. "You let me worry about it."

"Ok," Alec whispered. "But, can you tell everyone else that I'm ok and that they shouldn't ask me if I'm ok because it gets really annoying?"

He chuckled and messed up Alec's hair, "You know I can't make them stop asking you that. Everyone's just worried about you."

Alec groaned, and then snuggled against his side before he mumbled, "Does this mean I'm benched from hunting?"

"Yeah, you're benched," Dean said with a small smile.

"They're not even that bad…"

"Alec, the no warning part is what scares me and that's what's getting you benched," Dean said. "This one didn't give you any warnings…no headaches, back aches, trembling hands…Usually we get a head's up that you're going to have one, and then we have enough time to get you somewhere safe. If we're on a hunt and you have one without warning, you could get hurt or we could get hurt, and I'm not going to let that happen."

"I'm gonna be bored out of my mind…" Alec muttered.

"On the upside, either me, Ben, or Sam will stay with you if there's a hunt," Dean said.

"Oh good," Alec said sarcastically. "That way we can be bored together."

"That's the spirit," Dean said.

* * *

 _2011_

 _Faster than he or Sam could react, Crowley swept Meg's legs out from under her, grabbed the knife, and stabbed the devil's trap to break it. And then threw his hand out, forcing him and Sam against the wall._

 _"That's better," Crowley said, standing up again. He looked down at Meg with disdain and snarled, "You don't know torture, you little insect."_

 _Cas appeared out of nowhere though, renewing his hope that they would get out of there. "Leave them alone," Cas ordered._

 _"Castiel, haven't seen you all season. You the cavalry now?" Crowley asked sarcastically._

 _"Put the knife down," Cas said, ignoring Crowley._

 _"You that bossy in Heaven?" Crowley asked. "Hear you're losing out to Raphael. The whole affair makes Vietnam look like a roller derby." Cas pulled out a bag, which immediately caught Crowley's attention. "Hey, what's in the gift bag?"_

 _Cas reached in and pulled out a skull, and then smiled at Crowley. "You are."_

 _"Not possible," Crowley said, fear tinting his tone._

 _"You didn't hide your bones as well as you should have," Cas said._

 _Crowley clapped slowly, mocking Cas. "Cookie for you."_

 _"Can you restore Sam's soul or not?" Cas asked, getting straight to the point._

 _"No," Crowley said. He held up his hand though to signal that Cas needed to wait. "But I have something else you do want."_

 _"What?" Cas asked._

 _"Not you, feathers," Crowley said before he looked over at him. "You."_

 _"What?" Dean asked._

 _Crowley snapped, and then his heart stopped. Alec appeared out of thin air, a manacle around his neck, his wrists chained together, and a strip of cloth tied over his mouth. He was wearing his pajamas from the night he was taken, but they were bloodstained and in tatters. Crowley was holding a chain that was connected to the manacle around Alec's neck. He yanked hard on the chain, causing Alec to gag and fall to his knees._

 _"Alec!" Dean yelled to get Alec's attention. His little boy looked up in surprise and immediately struggled to get to him. Crowley yanked on the chain again, making Alec fall back and whimper in pain. "Crowley, you son of a bitch! Let him go!"_

 _"Give me back what belongs to me and I'll give you back your little mini-me," Crowley said._

 _"How did you even get him?" Sam asked. "I didn't think you even knew about him."_

 _"I didn't," Crowley said. "Not until one of my scouts found Dean playing house. Thought he could come in handy if I ever needed to bargain my way to freedom. Now, give me back my bones, and I'll give you the baby chipmunk."_

 _He looked to Cas and silently begged his friend to just do what Crowley said; he needed Alec back and he didn't care what it took._

 _"No," Cas said after a moment. The bag of bones suddenly went up in flames and Crowley yelled, but quickly caught on fire. Alec rolled away from the burning demon as soon as the chain was released, and Dean breathed out in relief._

 _He ran to Alec as soon as he was released from the wall and scooped up his little boy. He carefully pulled the cloth away from Alec's mouth, and then ran his hand through his filthy hair. "Hey kiddo," Dean said, his voice thick with tears._

 _"Dad," Alec said, his voice was weak and he was shaking badly, but he smiled back at him._

 _"You're a mess, kiddo," Dean said. A tear slipped free and streaked down his cheek, but he cradled Alec against his chest trying his best not to hurt him more. "I've looked everywhere for you."_

 _"Here I am," Alec said. "C-crowley's a dick."_

 _He laughed and nodded in agreement, "No argument here." He pulled out his lock pick set and carefully got to work getting the chains off his boy. "If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him."_

 _"Dad, I-I tried t-to escape," Alec whispered. "B-but I c-couldn't get away…"_

 _"It's ok, kiddo, you're free now," Dean said. "And I'm not letting you go again." He finally got the manacle off from around Alec's neck, but anger filled him seeing his little boy's skin rubbed raw and even bleeding in some places._

 _"D-dad, I'm ok," Alec breathed out._

 _"What else did he do to you?" Dean asked breathlessly. "Is anything broken? You're having seizures…I have some pills in the car you can take…What else did Crowley do to you? Where all are you bleeding?"_

 _"R-ribs are b-broken," Alec said, but he didn't answer his other questions._

 _"Ok, I'm gonna take care of you and get you patched up," Dean said. "We'll go to Bobby's and rest up for a while." Shit…he just then remembered Ben was at Bobby's. He didn't know how this was going to go over, but he wasn't going to pile this on his boy now. He got Alec's hands free, and then picked him up. "Just rest, ok? I'm gonna take care of everything."_

 _Alec nodded and rested against his shoulder. He wished more than anything that Cas would heal Alec, but he knew it was pointless to even ask. As far as he could tell though, Alec's wounds would heal, he just didn't know what kind of psychological damage he little boy would have._

* * *

 _"Holy shit," Bobby breathed out as soon as he picked Alec up and carried him from the Impala. "You found him?"_

 _"Crowley had him," Dean said. He'd patched Alec up as soon as they'd gotten back to the car, and then drove like Hell to get back to Bobby's. Alec had slept against him the entire trip, and still hadn't woken up. His seizures hadn't stopped either, but he figured he needed to give the pills time to work before he started to panic._

 _Sam hadn't said a word the entire way. He hadn't helped with Alec, and he hadn't cared that his own nephew was hurt, had been tortured for months, and was finally back. He hadn't even tried to talk to Alec, or tried to comfort him. It was so unlike his brother, it scared him. Right after he got Alec situated, he was going to find a way to restore his brother's soul. Sam wasn't right, and he was going to get him back. He had Alec back, now he needed Sam._

 _"Is that Alec?" Ben asked, running up to him and looking Alec over. Sam slipped past all of them and headed for the kitchen, not even bothering to look back._

 _"Yeah, this is Alec," Dean said. "My guess is that you guys are twins, but since your number was 493 and his was 494…I'm guessin' you're older."_

 _Ben nodded and asked, "Can I help?"_

 _"Yeah buddy, can you grab some pillows and blankets from upstairs?" Dean asked, carefully laying Alec on the sofa._

 _"What else do you need?" Bobby asked. He'd come to love Alec as if he was his own grandson; it killed him to see the little boy so broken. He knew Dean wasn't faring much better, but he'd start doing better as soon as Alec was on the mend. At least they had Alec back._

 _"An IV and some milk and his pills," Dean said. He checked Alec's bandages to make sure they were secure and that none of his wounds were bleeding through, and was relieved to see that so far, his bandages were good. He checked Alec's pulse and his breathing, and even though his breathing was shallow, it was to be expected. He had three broken ribs and two cracked ribs, so it had to be incredibly painful to breathe._

 _"Here Da-Dean," Ben said, holding a pile of pillows and blankets for him._

 _"Thanks buddy," Dean said with a smile. He knew Ben would want to help however he could. The kid was afraid he was going to kick him out if he did something wrong. Now that Alec was back, maybe he could do a better job convincing Ben that he was there to stay._

 _"Dean, his seizures are pretty bad…" Bobby muttered. Alec was shaking uncontrollably on his sofa, and he didn't know as much about them as Dean did, but it looked painful. "Did he already take some pills?"_

 _"Yeah, I made him take them before he fell asleep," Dean said. He sat next to his little boy and brushed back his dirty hair. He needed to clean him up, but he didn't want to wake him. He needed his sleep._

 _Bobby knelt beside Alec and tried to insert the needle into Alec's wrist, but after a few tries he moved to the inside of his elbow. "Dean…I can't find a vein…" Bobby said._

 _"He's dehydrated," Dean said. "I patched him up as much as I could before we took off, but he's gotta be in a lot of pain…"_

 _"Ok, you get him on the IV and I'll see what I've got for painkillers and antibiotics," Bobby said, getting up and leaving the room again._

 _"Ben…can you get me some ice?" Dean asked. His little boy nodded and ran off, leaving him alone with Alec. His heart broke when Alec shifted to try to get comfortable, but winced in pain. His little boy's bloodshot eyes slowly opened, and he immediately saw the panic. "Hey kiddo, you're ok," Dean quickly reassured._

 _Tears started rolling down Alec's cheeks, so he scooped him up and held him against his chest. "D-daddy…" Alec sobbed, desperately clinging to him._

 _"It's ok, everything's ok," Dean soothed. "You're home and you're safe and I'm not going anywhere, ok? Everything's ok."_

 _"It h-h-hurts…" Alec breathed, hiccupping slightly as he tried to control his sobs._

 _"I know, I know it does," Dean whispered as he gently rubbed Alec's back. "But Bobby's looking for some painkillers…and…um, Ben's getting some ice…"_

 _Alec scowled up at him and asked, "Why is B-ben h-here?"_

 _"Alec, it's not Ben Braeden…" Dean muttered._

 _Alec turned just as Ben ran back in, and his little boy's hand fell away from his shirt. Alec's shaking slowed slightly as he focused all of his energy on glaring at Ben. This was going to be way worse than he thought._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey everyone! So, this chapter has a flashback between season 5 and 6 and one in season six after Dean found Ben. Hope you all like it!_

* * *

Chapter 8

Present

He walked next to his brother and tried to inconspicuously help him without him knowing. Alec probably knew what he was trying to do, but for now he was letting him. He was itching to ask him if he was ok, but that would definitely end Alec's cooperation. He was allowed to show some concern, but not too much, and he could not ask him any questions. Dad was allowed to ask, but he was the only one.

"So, what's the news on the al-alternate universe?" Alec asked as he gingerly sat down in the chair next to Uncle Sam. His brother tried to cover up the fact that he was barely on his feet, but he couldn't hide the small stutter. And, he didn't want anyone to ask him how he was doing, so he started the conversation before anyone else could.

"Nothing so far," Uncle Sam said, humoring his brother. "Do you guys want something to drink?" Sam asked. His Uncle was trying to be sneaky, but he knew this was his way of trying to get Alec some water, or even better, some milk.

Alec sighed, "I'd drink some chocolate milk…"

"Ok, comin' right up," Sam said, instantly getting up and heading for the kitchen.

"Uncle Sam," Alec said, stopping their Uncle in his tracks. "Ben might be thirsty too…"

Uncle Sam gave Alec a small, embarrassed smile before he looked to him. "I'm sorry Ben…um, do you want something to drink too?"

He chuckled in amusement, but shook his head no. "I'm good, Uncle Sam."

Sam nodded, and then took off again. Dad smirked at him as he sat down next to him, and then shifted his gaze over to his brother. "Should you be out of bed?" Dad asked.

"No," Alec replied, easing back in his chair and resting his hands on his stomach, daring their Dad to tell him to go back to bed.

"How's your arm?" Dad asked.

"It's still shaking," Alec admitted. His right arm always took the longest to recover after one of his seizures, and this time was no different. He was just glad the rest of his body had started to slow down so he could get some real sleep. "But that doesn't mean I have to stay in bed all day. I can help. I am actually good at research, even though I don't like it. But, since I have nothing else to do, then I'm happy to help however I'm allowed."

"Well, just relax," Dad said. "We're kinda sittin' on our heels right now anyway, so not much to do."

"Where's Mary and Jack?" Alec asked.

"Supply run," Dad said. "We were pretty low on some of your favorites, so they went to go get more."

"What about for the seizures? Have you found anything about them?" Ben asked. He knew Alec didn't want to talk about it, but he had to know. He had to make sure his brother was going to be ok.

"Nothing yet, but Sam's got a plan for our new diet," Dean said.

"Great…" Alec muttered.

"Hey, I'm changing my diet too, so no complaining," Dean said. Neither of them were going to like this, but they were going to try. Maybe Alec just needed to cut back on the junk food, and that would help. If it was that simple, then he would eat carrots for the rest of his life.

"How soon is the new diet starting?" Alec asked, sounding mopey.

"Today," Dean said. He hated to make Alec's day worse, but he just had to keep telling himself that this was going to help his son.

"Alec, I'll start the new diet too," Ben said.

Alec glared at his brother, "You already eat all that crap that Uncle Sam likes."

Ben made a sympathetic face at his brother and said, "I think it might be worse than what you're thinking…"

Alec was silent for a second before he stood up and headed for the kitchen yelling, "Uncle Sam!"

"Oh good grief…" Dean muttered. He nodded his head toward Alec to signal that Ben should follow him. "Make sure he doesn't kill Sam when he finds out what he has in mind."

Ben nodded and took off after his brother.

"What exactly is this new diet plan?" Alec demanded.

Uncle Sam looked startled, but he quickly recovered and said, "Well, there's going to be more vegetables and less junk food…"

"Expected. What else?" Alec said shortly.

"Alec, it's not going to be that bad…" Uncle Sam tried to placate.

"What. Is. It."

"They are just protein shakes and smoothies," Uncle Sam said. "And they aren't that bad." Uncle Sam had to run after Alec on that last part because his brother had left the room.

He sighed and followed them again.

"I agreed to a slight diet change. Not protein shakes," Alec said, storming back to where Dad was.

Dean took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. "Alec, it's not a big deal. One or two shakes a day aren't going to kill you. Plus, I'll be drinking them too."

"No," Alec said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll drink milkshakes, eat more vegetables, stop eating so many chips and M&M's, but I'm not drinking protein shakes."

"Just try them," Dean said. "They're gonna suck, but if they help, then you're gonna drink them." Alec had the look on his face that meant he was going to argue. But Dad had the same look on his face. "I mean it Alec, if they help, then you're drinking them.

"We'll see…" Alec muttered.

Dad stood up to face off against Alec. "No. You're drinking them, and that's final. And if you want me to drink them too, then you'll drop this right now."

Alec glared, but then finally nodded, "Fine, but I'm not gonna like it."

"Wouldn't expect anything else," Dean said. "Now, go drink some milk and get back in bed. I can see your arm shaking, which means it's getting worse again and you can't hide it."

Alec rolled his eyes and walked back to the kitchen. He didn't even need Dad to tell him to follow his brother since he was already going.

* * *

 _2011_

 _"I don't want to live here," Alec whispered._

 _His little boy's eyes were red and puffy from crying, and this was the first thing he'd said for days, but he wasn't going to live like they had been. He couldn't, not anymore. He knelt down in front of Alec and put his hands on his little shoulders. "Alec, we need to start over. I promised Sam that I would try to give you a life if something happened to him, and I'm going to try."_

 _"I don't know them…" Alec said, looking away from him._

 _"Lisa is an old friend of mine," Dean said. "She can help us start over. And she's got a son who's just about a year older than you. You guys could be friends…"_

 _"Dad, I just want to live with you," Alec said. "I want things the way they were…"_

 _"I know, kiddo," Dean said. "But…Sam's…Sam's gone…" Fresh tears fell down Alec's cheeks, but he gently wiped them away. He pulled Alec in close and held him against his chest. "I know, kiddo, I know…but this is why we need a fresh start."_

 _"No…" Alec whispered._

 _He pulled back slightly and pleaded, "Please Alec, for me. Just try, ok?"_

 _Alec hesitated, but he finally nodded and wrapped his arms around his neck. He carried his little boy back inside and let him hide against his neck. Lisa looked at him in concern, but he shook his head no. He wasn't used to fighting with Alec, but he knew Alec needed this. They both did. After what happened to Sam, they needed as many good days that they could get._

 _"I'm gonna set you down, ok?" Dean whispered to Alec._

 _"Ok…" Alec muttered._

 _He set Alec down on one of the barstools and went to get him a glass of milk. Lisa walked over to Alec and said, "Hey sweetie, do you want a snack?"_

 _Alec glared at Lisa and slid off the barstool. "That's not my name," Alec said. "My name's Alec." He sighed as Alec left the room, probably going to his room to hide again. It had taken him an hour to get his little boy out of his room, and now he was going to go through the same thing again._

 _"Dean, I'm sorry," Lisa said. "I just wanted to try to help…"_

 _"It's ok," Dean reassured. "It's gonna take some time…"_

 _"For both of you," Lisa said._

 _He took a deep breath and said, "He's pretty touchy about his name…And since he doesn't know you, he's not going to let you call him anything else. I should've warned you beforehand."_

 _"Dean, this is going to take some time to get used to for all of us," Lisa said. "Last I knew, you didn't have any kids, and now you have a 10-year-old son. In a way, I gained another son when you showed up on my doorstep. And I know it's going to be hard, but I'm willing to try."_

 _He nodded, "In that case, you should know that Alec loves pie and doesn't really like cake. There is a difference and he will argue with you if you say there isn't."_

 _Lisa smiled and hit his arm, "Fine, I won't argue about cake vs. pie."_

 _"Just know he's complicated. Even more complicated than me," Dean said. "And he's going to be hard to get to know. But if you're willing to try, then I'm willing to try too."_

 _Lisa kissed his cheek, making him smile. "Good. Now, should you go check on him or should I?"_

 _He laughed, "Um, that should probably be me…"_

 _"Try to get him out of his room again, ok?" Lisa asked. "He should eat dinner with us tonight. Ben wants to know him and so do I."_

 _"I don't know about tonight, but I'll try to get him to come around," Dean said._

 _"Dean, he just lost someone very important to him, and so did you. You both just need some time," Lisa said._

 _He nodded again even though he didn't think time would help him get over losing his brother. He took in a slow breath, and then said, "I'm gonna go check on him…try to keep him talking at least…"_

 _"Let me know if you need anything, ok?" Lisa asked._

 _"Yeah, I will," Dean said with a small smile. He walked out of the kitchen and headed for Alec's room. He wanted to give Alec a fresh start, but he wouldn't force Alec to stay here if he didn't like it. If he gave it a real try and he still didn't like it, then he would find something else for them. But they were going to try._

* * *

Present

"What about these?" Jack asked, holding up a big bag of M&M's and giving her a huge smile.

She smiled back, but shook her head no. "Unfortunately, those aren't on the list. Sam was pretty clear that Alec needs to stop eating junk food…" Jack nodded and slowly put the candy back. He looked so sad though, she couldn't say no to him. Besides, Alec shouldn't be completely cut off from all junk food…he could go into shock or something without it. And, maybe if she bought him some secret junk food they might start getting along better… "Ok, put them in the cart," Mary said, making a decision. "Just don't tell Sam, Dean, or Ben, ok? They're serious about Alec getting off the junk food."

Jack's smile widened again as he put the M&M's into the cart. "These will cheer Alec up, I'm sure of it," Jack said. "Ben told me those were his favorite."

"I'm sure he'll love them," Mary said. She headed down the next row and looked at the list Sam gave her again. She didn't know much about Alec, but she knew he wasn't going to like anything on this list. _She_ didn't like anything on this list.

She nearly jumped when the well-dressed demon, Crowley, rounded the corner right in front of her. Luckily, she was a trained hunter, so she was able to keep her composure. Jack, on the other hand, was not trained, so he jumped about a foot in the air.

"Oh…Hello there," Crowley said smoothly, acting like this was just a coincidence that they'd run into each other at the store. "Fancy meeting you here…"

"I know my boys think you're mostly on their side, but I don't," Mary stated. "Get out of my way."

Crowley scowled and acted like she'd wounded him, "I'm sorry if I offended you-"

"Get out of my way," Mary repeated.

"You may not want to dismiss me so soon…" Crowley said, glancing between her and Jack. "I may have some information you want…"

"Then go tell Sam and Dean. I'm not interested," Mary said, pushing past the demon.

"The boys locked down the bunker. Something spooked them, so I can't get in," Crowley said. "But this is important."

"Use the phone," Mary said simply. "Jack, c'mon, we're leaving." She left the cart where it was and grabbed Jack's arm before she headed for the door. She stumbled to a halt though when another man appeared in front of her. He was wearing a white suit, had longer, graying hair, and a beard to match, with a scar down his face. She took a small step back, knowing instinctively that this guy was bad news.

"I will be taking the Nephilim with me now," the man said. He had a thick southern accent and he spoke slowly.

"And who are you?" Mary asked.

"My name is Asmodeus," he said. "I am a Prince of Hell, and I will be taking Lucifer's son with me."

"His name is Jack," Crowley said, suddenly rounding the corner and standing at the end of the row. "And he's not going with you."

Asmodeus frowned and cocked his head to the side. "And you are?"

"I am the King of Hell," Crowley said. "It's been a while since you've shown your face, so it's understandable that you don't know anything."

"Aww, it's the salesman…" Asmodeus said with a wicked smirk.

Mary took another small step back, pushing Jack behind her. She was getting them out of here before the two demons started fighting each other. She got her phone out as she slowly backed them away and handed it to Jack. "Call Dean," she whispered.

"How?" Jack asked back.

She sighed; she'd forgotten that Jack was literally born a few days ago and didn't know anything. She couldn't blame him either since she hadn't known how to do hardly anything when she'd come back from the dead. She took her phone back and quickly dialed Dean's number. She passed the phone back to Jack and said, "Just talk to him and tell him we're in trouble."

She kept her eyes on the demons who were facing off against each other, about a second away from fighting.

"Dean…um, Mary said we're in trouble," Jack whispered behind her. Jack suddenly tapped her shoulder and said, "Dean wants to know what's going on."

"Tell him Crowley is here and so is another demon, or Prince of Hell," Mary whispered. "And we're stuck here."

Jack relayed the message, but they were too late. There was a crash, and she looked up just in time to see the overhead lights above Crowley drop to the ground. Crowley, unfortunately, had jumped out of the way in time. She grabbed Jack and ran for the door but had to stop when a display of chips fell in their way.

"I told you, the Nephilim is coming with me," Asmodeus said.

She spun around and pushed Jack behind her. She silently cursed herself for not grabbing any weapons before she'd left. She should have thought something like this could happen, but she wanted to help her boys however she could, and the twins needed some food, so she went to get them food. She just wanted to help, and now Jack was in danger.

"You're not touching him," Mary stated.

"And are you going to stop me?" Asmodeus asked.

"No, but I will," Crowley said, appearing again. She didn't like the demon, and she liked him even less once she found out what he did to Alec, but he did have his uses. At least he was sticking around to fight off the other demon. Crowley held an angel blade in his hand as he approached Asmodeus.

"Go," Mary whispered to Jack. The two of them ran to the back of the store, ignoring the crashes and breaking glass. "Find an exit," Mary said. She didn't know where the clerk when, but it didn't matter. She needed to keep Jack out of the hands of both demons. He obviously had powers, and those powers did not need to be nourished by demons.

"Mary, over there," Jack said, pointing to a door behind the counter.

She smiled, "Ok, go and don't stop until you're out."

"Aren't you coming too?" Jack asked.

"I'll be right behind you. I just want to make sure you're not followed," Mary said.

"I'm not going without you," Jack said.

Jack looked completely serious, and right now, it was more important to get him somewhere safe than to make sure they weren't followed. "Ok, I'm with you every step of the way," Mary said.

They ran, leaving the two demons and the destruction behind. Somehow, they made it out and made it to the car. She called Dean again from the road to tell him they got out, but they had a serious problem now. Not only were the angels after Jack, so was a new demon.

* * *

 _2011_

 _"Alec, can you hand me those papers?" Sam asked._

 _He frowned, Sam called him Alec about eight times a day no matter how many times he or Dean told him that his name was Ben. Dean was still looking for Alec, but Sam didn't seem all that interested in finding him. And really, why should he look since it seemed like Alec wasn't missing at all because he thought_ he _was Alec._

 _"Sam, my name's Ben," he corrected._

 _Sam looked up at him, and then frowned, "I thought you were Alec."_

 _"No, Alec's missing," Ben said. "We told you that yesterday."_

 _"Sorry," Sam said, looking down and dismissing him again._

 _"What are you working on?" Ben asked. "Do you sleep? Dean says you don't sleep."_

 _"I thought you didn't talk as much as Alec…" Sam muttered._

 _"So you do know who I am," Ben said with a smile. "You can't keep calling me Alec since apparently I don't talk as much as him…"_

 _"Don't you have something to do?" Sam asked._

 _"No," Ben said. "Dean had to go somewhere and he said I couldn't go too, which means he's probably following a lead on Alec and he doesn't want me to know."_

 _"Why not?" Sam asked._

 _He shrugged, "I don't know. He never tells me anything about Alec." Dean always got really sad when he asked about Alec and would quickly change the subject. He knew Dean thought of Alec as his own kid, but he really wanted Dean to think of_ him _as his kid. But he knew it was hard since they looked alike and now Alec was gone._

 _"What do you want to know?" Sam asked._

 _"What's he like?" Ben asked. "Is he like me?"_

 _"He looked like you," Sam said. "But he talked more than you do and he called me Uncle Sam."_

 _"You're talking about him like he's dead," Ben pointed out._

 _"That's because he is," Sam stated. "He's been missing for a few months, there was blood in the room, and there are no leads. He's dead." No wonder Dean didn't want to be around Sam that much. If Sam talked like that to Dean, then it had to make him really, really sad._

 _"What's it like having a brother?" Ben asked, wanting to get away from talking about his possibly dead brother._

 _Sam huffed, "It's fine. Dean gets under my skin a lot though, so you should be happy you don't have one."_

 _"I did though," Ben argued. "I just never knew him." Sam didn't say anything else, but instead went back to looking at his computer. He tried to peek over at what he was doing, but he couldn't see. "What are you working on?" Ben finally asked again._

 _"I'm looking for hunts," Sam replied._

 _"Can I help?" Ben asked._

 _Sam looked at him in surprise, but then nodded and motioned for him to come over. He hopped off the chair and ran over to Sam. The older man picked him up and sat him on his lap, which was odd since he'd never done that before. Sam hardly ever talked to him, let alone pick him up and let him help with something._

 _"What's wrong with you?" Ben asked softly, keeping his eyes on the computer. Dean had told him to be careful around Sam, but he didn't know why. This was the first time Dean had ever left him alone with Sam._

 _"I don't know," Sam replied honestly. "Dean's looking, that's all I know."_

 _"Dean's still looking for Alec," Ben said._

 _"Yeah, he doesn't stop once he decides something," Sam muttered. "Ok, look at this," Sam said, pointing to the computer. "What does that look like to you?"_

 _He scanned the screen, and then said, "Shapeshifter?"_

 _Sam actually smiled and said, "I think you're right."_

 _"Are we going to hunt it?" Ben asked._

 _"We'll see what your Dad says…" Sam muttered, scrolling down the screen._

 _"Sam…you just called Dean my Dad," Ben pointed out._

 _"Oh sorry…" Sam said. "Alec called Dean Dad and I just got used to it." Sam kept scrolling, looking over the case, but then he said, "Alec might not be dead…"_

 _"Really?" Ben asked, trying not to sound too hopeful, but completely failing. He wanted to know his brother. He didn't know he had a brother, but then Dean said he did and now he really wanted to know him. He really hoped he wasn't dead._

 _"I mean, I don't know if he's dead or not," Sam said. "But it doesn't hurt to look."_

* * *

Present

He paced; his Mom and Jack should have been back already. Mom said they were on their way back, but it was taking too long. He needed to go out and make sure they were ok…

"Dean, you need to sit down," Sam said. "You're freaking out the twins."

"We're fine," Alec argued.

" _You_ should've gone back to bed half an hour ago," Sam said, pointing to his nephew. Alec was pushing it because Dean was freaking out, and it was going to cost him. He could tell his nephew's right arm was getting pretty bad again, which meant he needed to rest.

Ben stood up suddenly and left the room, making Alec sigh. "Once Dad stops freaking out, and Mary and Jack get back here, then I'll go to bed," Alec said.

Ben walked back into the room carrying a blanket and another glass of milk. He draped the blanket over Alec's shoulders, and then said, "Drink this. And I know you're cold, so don't try to hide it."

"And-" Sam started.

"Don't," Alec cut off before he could point out that his arm needed to go in the sling again. When Alec had seizures, if his right arm was slow at catching up, then he had to wear a sling. If he was around something sharp, then he could get hurt if he was still shaking. It was just safer for him even though he hated it.

"If your arm doesn't stop shaking soon, then you're wearing the sling," Sam said.

"I'm fine," Alec growled. "Besides, I thought we were worrying about Mary and Jack."

"We are…" Dean muttered. "I should just go out there and look…just to make sure…"

"Dean, just sit down," Sam said with a sigh.

"We can both go," Dean said. "The boys can stay here, and we-"

"Dean," Sam said. "You and I both know you can't leave right now." He looked to Alec and Dean followed his gaze. There was no way Dean could leave Alec again after he'd just had a seizure. Leaving when he'd torn his stitches had been hard enough, but then he'd had a seizure while they were gone... Dean hated it when the boys had seizures, but it was even worse when they had one when he wasn't around.

"Dad, I'm fine," Alec reassured. "You can go check on them."

"He's not fine, and I don't think you should go," Ben said. Alec glared at his brother, but he knew Ben was the only one who could get away with telling the truth like that. "If they said they were on their way back, then I think you should stay," Ben said.

"They said there was another demon," Alec argued. "They could have been followed or maybe they were captured and forced to call you to tell you not to come."

"Alec, I know the main reason you haven't gone to bed yet is because you can't stand up," Ben said. "Your back is killing you and your arm needs to be in the sling. Stop telling Dad to leave because if you have another seizure, I'm going to need help. You know I freak out more than Dad does when you have a seizure."

Alec was quiet for a few seconds before he finally said, "Fine, but I'm not going back to bed until they're back."

"And I won't leave," Dean said. "Sam's right, I couldn't leave now unless it was absolutely necessary."

They were quiet for a long time, but Ben was the one to break the silence, "Alec, drink the milk. Uncle Sam, can you get his sling?"

Sam nodded and left the room while Alec sulked. But he did drink his milk, so that was good. Dean walked over to Alec and crouched down in front of him.

"How bad does your back hurt? Does it feel like you're gonna have another seizure?" Dean asked.

"It hurts pretty bad," Alec admitted. "But I don't think I'm going to have another one."

"Will you go back to bed, please?" Dean asked. "I'll wake you up when they get here."

"No, not yet," Alec said. "I have to know if they're ok…"

"They are, they're gonna be ok," Dean reassured. Alec looked terrible; he didn't have any color left, he was still shaking, and he looked like he was going to be sick. They should have backed off of the milk; Alec's stomach could only handle so much milk ever since Crowley had tortured him. "C'mon kiddo, you need to lay down."

"No Dad," Alec whispered.

"How 'bout we just go to the rec room, huh? You can lay on the sofa and we'll all hang out in there until they get back," Dean suggested. "We'll keep you in the loop the whole time, ok?"

Alec shivered, but then he nodded, "Ok…But I'm gonna need another blanket…And I can't drink anymore milk…"

"Ok," Dean said, wrapping the blanket around Alec tighter. "Do you think you can walk, or should I carry you?"

Alec looked down in shame, "Ben was right…I can't walk right now…"

Dean ran his hand through Alec's hair before he looked over at Ben. "Tell Sam to meet us in the rec room. He actually might need help finding the sling…I'm guessing your brother hid it again…" He glanced over at his youngest son and chuckled when he saw the small smirk on his face. "Help Sam find it, and then meet us there." Ben nodded and took off to find Sam. He looked back to Alec and said, "Now it's just you and me, kiddo…"

Alec nodded, "Ok…you can carry me…"

He carefully picked Alec up, getting his arms under Alec's knees and shoulders while trying his best to ignore his son's groan of pain as he picked him up and carried him down the hall. "You went downhill pretty fast…" Dean muttered. Alec had regained enough strength to argue with Sam, but then he just crashed. He was terrified that he was already getting worse, but he thought he might just be panicking.

"You know the seizures…" Alec mumbled. "I only have so much energy after one of 'em…and I used it to argue over protein shakes…"

"It'll be ok," Dean soothed. "And maybe they won't be too bad…"

"You sound so convincing…" Alec said, rolling his eyes. His son hissed in pain when he eased him on the sofa, but then he sank onto the cushions and looked way more comfortable than he had been. "Ok…I admit it…I was wrong."

He chuckled, "I told you that you'd be more comfortable."

"Dean!" Sam called out.

"He'll find us," Dean said. There was no way he was leaving Alec alone right now. He adjusted Alec's blanket so he was warmer until he could get him another one. But he needed Ben or Sam to sit with him before he could go anywhere. Alec whimpered when his right arm gave a violent shake. He held Alec's arm against his chest wishing Sam would hurry up with his sling. "You're ok," Dean whispered. "Just try to relax."

"Dad, Mary and Jack are back," Ben said as he ran in.

"They ok?" Dean asked.

Ben nodded, "I think so, but Crowley's with them."

"Can you get them to come to us?" Dean asked.

"They're already heading this way…I just thought I would give you a head's up," Ben said, glancing over at Alec.

"Crowley's coming this way too?" Dean asked.

"Yeah…" Ben said.

"Ok, get your brother another blanket, and then sit with him," Dean said. "Nothing's wrong, ok? Alec got shot a few days ago and is recovering. Nothing else is wrong, understood?"

"Yes sir," the twins said together. He did not want Crowley to know how hurt Alec was. He didn't even like having Alec in the same room as Crowley because of what he did, but he didn't have a choice right now. He was just glad he was in the same room so he could still protect his boys. Crowley was more friend than foe these days, but he was still a demon and there was no erasing the past.

"Ok, Alec it would be better if you were asleep…" Dean said.

"I can't sleep when Crowley's around," Alec said. "Just prop me up a little and I'll sleep as soon as he's gone."

Dean sighed, but he propped his son up with two pillows and tucked the second blanket around him once Ben grabbed one.

"Uncle Sam gave me this too," Ben said, handing him Alec's sling.

He expected Alec to argue about the sling again, but instead he urged, "Hurry up before they get here. It's gonna be a dead giveaway that something else is wrong if my arm's shaking nonstop."

He got the sling on for Alec and adjusted the blankets so it wasn't so obvious. "Just relax, ok? I'll keep the conversation away from you, and I'll try to get rid of Crowley as soon as I can," Dean said. "Ben, stay with him and if it gets to be too much, give me a signal or something and I'll figure out how to get rid of him or a way to move you…"

"Dad, it's gonna be ok," Ben reassured. He moved Alec's legs and sat down before he settled Alec's legs across his lap again. "See, it looks like he's just resting after getting shot."

"It's gonna be fine," Alec said. "And I'll try not to talk too much in case I start stuttering."

"Ok," Dean said with a nod.

"Dean, hey, they're back," Sam said, running in. He breathed out in relief when he saw Alec and Ben on the sofa, looking pretty close to normal. He hated that Crowley was here too, but they needed to know what was going on. He was just relieved that Alec had agreed to move. He wasn't in bed, but at least he wasn't sitting up anymore.

Dean stood up, and he was relieved to see that Mom and Jack seemed to be unharmed. They both looked for Alec and Ben, and he was surprised to see relief on his Mom's face when she spotted Alec on the sofa. Maybe they really were getting along better, or at least Mom was getting used to the idea that he had two sons.

He scowled when Crowley walked in the room. The demon looked a little worse for wear, but unfortunately, he was still alive. "Start talking," Dean demanded. The sooner Crowley told them what was going on, the sooner he would leave.

"Good to see you too, squirrel," Crowley said. He glanced over at the twins and asked, "What's wrong with the chipmunks?"

"None of your damn business," Dean snarled.

"Dean, calm down," Mary soothed. "Crowley saved us back there…"

"Mom, you don't know what he did-"

"Yes, I do," Mary said. "Sam told me at least some of it, so I know this is hard, but he did save us."

"And then he just appeared in our car," Jack said. "We left, and he just appeared a few minutes later…"

"He does that," Sam said. "Crowley, just tell us what happened, so you can leave."

"I'm feeling so welcome…" Crowley muttered.

Crowley walked across the room and sank down into one of the armchairs. "There's another player," Crowley said. "Asmodeus. He's a Prince of Hell, one of Lucifer's own, and he wants the Nephilim."

"His name's Jack," Sam, Dean, Ben, and even Alec all said at once.

"It doesn't matter," Crowley said. "If Asmodeus gets him, then we might as well kiss this world goodbye."

"Why? What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"Jack is the key to opening the door to the alternate universe," Crowley said. "If Asmodeus gets him, then Lucifer is as good as free and we're all dead."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Present

"Dean, I think we need to start looking for a doctor," Sam said. "It's been three days and Alec's arm is still shaking, he can't stomach hardly anything, and he can't sleep because his back hurts so bad."

"I know," Dean snapped. He took a deep breath, and then said, "I'm sorry…I know it's been too long, but where are we gonna take him? He has terrible luck with doctors…one of them even tried to eat him!"

"Dean, that was a leviathan," Sam reasoned. "Besides, what about that guy you took him to see after Crowley tortured him?"

"Dude, that guy was ancient seven years ago, there's no way he's still alive," Dean said.

"Ok…maybe Jody knows someone he can see," Sam suggested. "We could use her help anyway, with the whole alternate universe thing…"

He nodded, "That's a good idea. Let's call her and see if she wants us to come to her or if she wants to come here."

"You think Alec can handle the drive?" Sam asked.

"I don't know…" Dean muttered. "I'll check on him again while you call Jody."

Sam nodded his agreement, so he walked out of the room to go find his boys. He knew they would either be in their room or in the rec room, so he went to their room first. He still thought it was funny that they had wanted to share even though they had plenty of rooms to choose from in the bunker. But the two of them hadn't wanted to be apart. He couldn't blame them; it was still weird to be sleeping in separate rooms instead of one motel room, but they were slowly getting used to it.

The boys weren't in their room, so he headed for the rec room. He'd told Alec that he was only allowed in those two rooms until he recovered, and surprisingly, his son had listened to him.

He walked into the room and found that Ben and Jack were sitting on the floor playing a video game while Alec told Jack what to do from the sofa. Mary was sitting at the table looking through some of the Men of Letter's books, while at the same time, she was keeping an eye on the boys.

"Dad, Jack's actually pretty good at this," Alec said once he spotted him. "Ben's still kicking his ass, but he's not hopeless."

He sat down next to Alec on the sofa and watched whatever game Ben and Jack were playing. He'd decided that he'd get the boys some video games if they were ever in one spot for more than a week since they seemed to like them the few times they'd gotten to play them. He'd gotten them some handheld games when they were little, so they could play them in the car, but it had been a great day when he'd brought a PlayStation into the bunker.

"How're you doing?" Dean asked after a few minutes.

"I'm exhausted and my back is killing me," Alec admitted. "But watching them play video games is making me feel better…"

"We're calling Jody to see if she has someone we can take you to…" Dean said.

"Dad, a normal doctor isn't going to know what's going on," Alec said. "The best they can do is give me a muscle relaxant and some sleeping pills."

"I don't know what else to do, kiddo," Dean said, rubbing Alec's back. "There are no leads on any of the scientists from Manticore, and maybe if Jody doesn't have someone we can see, then she might be able to help us find one of the scientists."

"Is she coming here, or are we going there?" Alec asked.

"I don't know yet," Dean said.

"Because I'm telling you right now, it'll take a few days at least to get there," Alec said. "I can't stay in one position for more than two hours without it hurting."

"That's ok," Dean reassured. "We'll take our time if we're going there."

Alec nodded, and was quiet for a few minutes, focusing on the video game again. He knew Ben, Jack, and Mary were all listening to what they were saying, but none of them showed that they were listening, so that was good. That meant Alec would keep talking to him.

"Dad…it's just going to get worse, isn't it?" Alec asked.

He took a deep breath, and then said, "Well, it might get better for a while, but I think it's going to keep getting worse. And eventually, I think Ben's going to get worse too."

"So, what do we do?" Alec asked.

"For starters, we go find a doctor to look you over," Dean said. "Even if they just give you muscle relaxers, at least you might get a little break from the pain."

Alec nodded again, "I would like a break…"

"Alec, do you want to lay down again?" Ben asked, turning to look back at them.

"I'm alright…" Alec muttered.

"Do you want the heating pad?" Ben asked.

"Get back to the game," Alec said. "If I need something, I'll tell you."

"Ok," Ben said, turning to look at the tv again.

"It's so typical of Crowley to drop a bomb on us, like Jack being able to open the door to an alternate universe, and then just disappear," Alec said, changing the subject to get their attention away from him.

"I'm just glad he disappeared," Dean said. Alec winced as a tremor ran up his spine, and he gently massaged the back of Alec's neck. He wanted to tell Alec to lay down again, but he knew that was the best way to get his son to shut him out. So, he sat with him, even though he knew Alec was in pain. It killed him that his son was in pain and there was nothing he could do to help. He hated the seizures so much more because of that.

"Hey, so, Jody says she knows someone in South Dakota who is discreet and owes her a few favors," Sam said as he walked in.

He looked at Alec and asked again, "You sure you're up for a drive?"

"I'll be alright," Alec said.

* * *

 _2013_

 _"Dad?"_

 _"Ben, thank God," Dean said, running over to his 12-year-old son and hugging him close. Ben had been standing right next to him when he stabbed Dick Roman, and even though he had no idea where they were, he was thankful that Ben was ok._

 _"Dad, where are we?" Ben asked, looking up at him._

 _He looked around them, but it was dark, and it looked like they might be in a forest. "I don't know, buddy," Dean said. "But we just gotta find Cas and he can get us back to Sam and Alec."_

 _"Dad…we're not alone," Ben whispered, suddenly going on high alert._

 _He looked around, but he couldn't see anyone. But he trusted his son's senses, so he asked, "How many?"_

 _"A lot…" Ben said._

 _"Human?"_

 _"No…there's too many to tell…" Ben muttered. "But definitely not human."_

 _"Ok…are you good? Are you hurt?" Dean asked._

 _"I'm good," Ben replied._

 _He nodded once before he grabbed Ben's hand and ran. Footsteps immediately followed them; branches snapped and leaves rustled as they ran through this new place. His heart was pounding, and it had everything to do with the fact that his son was in as much danger as he was. He couldn't lose his boys._

 _He grunted as something suddenly slammed into him and Ben. They both rolled, but Ben popped up before he did. His boy snarled at the man who had tackled them, but he stood up as fast as he could and got in front of Ben to try to protect him. The man growled at them and bared his fangs. So, it was a vampire they were dealing with; too bad they didn't have any weapons._

 _Ben must have been thinking the same thing. Ben blurred and tackled the vampire before he blurred back to him, and they started running again. For now, that was all they could do._

 _They stopped again when they physically couldn't go anymore. Even Ben was breathing hard, so he knew they'd been running for a long time._

 _"We need to find some water," Dean breathed as soon as he had enough air back in his lungs._

 _Ben nodded in agreement, but then asked, "D'you think Alec and Uncle Sam are ok?"_

 _"I hope so…they weren't near the blast, so I don't think they're here," Dean said._

 _"But Crowley was still there and Alec was starting to get the seizures again," Ben said._

 _"Sammy will take care of him," Dean reassured. "But it's kind of good he was getting the seizures again…"_

 _Ben frowned and looked over at him, "Why?"_

 _"Because I stuck a brand-new bottle of pills in my pocket for him, and I still have them," Dean said. "Which is good because I think it's going to take some time to get out of here, and you're gonna need these before then."_

 _"Where d'you think we are?" Ben asked, looking around at the trees surrounding them._

 _"It's just a guess," Dean said, "But I think we might be in Purgatory…"_

* * *

Present

"Hey boys," Jody greeted with a warm smile. She walked over and gave Sam and Dean a hug, and then gave him the last hug. She pulled back from him and scowled, "Alec, how is it that you look worse than you did the last time I saw you?"

"I'm just that lucky I guess…" Alec muttered.

"It looks like you haven't slept in days…" Jody said.

"That's because I haven't," Alec said with a small smirk.

"Ok, let's get you inside and get you comfy," Jody said, taking his arm and leading him into her house. "Took you boys a few days longer than I thought…" Jody said as they walked.

"I couldn't ride that long…" Alec muttered, looking down. "It started to hurt less, but…it's still pretty bad…Plus, we had to stop a lot and play musical cars so I could lay down every so often…"

"Well, luckily for you, Alex is off work for the next few days, so she's going to do whatever you need," Jody said.

His cheeks heated in embarrassment, so he quickly changed the topic, "So, when's this doctor supposed to see me?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," Jody said. "She wanted to fit you in today, but her schedule is booked."

"Hey, I'd be ok if she couldn't get to me until next week…" Alec said.

"The sooner she checks you over, the better," Jody said. "Now, lay down and try to rest." She fluffed his pillow and pulled a blanket over him before she gently brushed his hair from his forehead.

"Hey Jody?" Alec asked before she could go talk to Dad and Uncle Sam.

"Yeah?" Jody asked.

He smirked and asked, "Is Claire coming around anytime soon?"

"You leave your brother alone or else I'm telling him that I caught you and Alex kissing," Jody warned.

"But it's so funny," Alec said with a laugh. "He can't get two coherent words together when she's around. It's impossible not to make fun of him."

"Leave him alone," Jody said again.

"Hey, I'm the one who's sick or dying or whatever, I should be allowed to make fun of him," Alec said.

"Go to sleep," Jody said in amusement. "And leave your brother alone."

He chuckled, but he did as he was told. Jody brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead as he drifted off.

She stood there for a few more seconds, relieved when Alec's breathing slowed in sleep. She put the back of her hand against his cheek, but frowned when she felt his fever. She quickly walked over to where Sam and Dean were and said, "He's got a pretty high fever…"

"The drive wore him out," Dean said. "His fever will probably go back down once he's had a couple hours of sleep."

"He's looking bad, Dean," Jody whispered. "A lot worse than he did last time, and he'd almost died then."

"I know. He wore himself out and had a seizure and we haven't been able to get him back ever since," Dean said.

"That's why we need him to see a doctor," Sam said. "We need him to be able to sleep long enough to heal, but he can't do that with his arm shaking like it is and his back killing him."

"We know they won't know exactly how to help him, but just a little bit of sleep would help him," Dean added.

"So you're looking for a Band-Aid," Jody guessed. "What's the long-term plan? I've seen him have seizures before, but this…"

"We know," Dean breathed. "We thought maybe you could help with this too…We're looking for one of the scientists from Manticore. They might know of a way to stop the seizures permanently."

"Manticore? Are you serious?" Jody asked in surprise. "I thought the angels wiped them all out…the transgenics and the scientists…"

"That's what they say, but people can slip through the cracks," Dean said. "And we just need one."

"And we don't have any proof that the angels wiped them out, we just have their word," Sam said.

"And their word means crap to us," Dean said. "So, they could all still be out there, we just haven't checked."

She nodded, and then looked around the room, "Where's Ben, Mary, and Jack?"

"They were a few miles back from us," Dean said. "I started speeding once we crossed state lines so I could get him here sooner."

"I'm gonna go check on him," Sam said. "Make sure he's still asleep…"

"Here, take him some water too," Jody said, giving him a cup of water. Sam left the room, and she watched as Dean sank into one of the kitchen chairs, running his hand through his hair. He looked almost as tired as Alec, which made sense because Dean worried about his boys. "Dean, we'll find something to help him."

"The last time he was this bad…" Dean said shaking his head. "It took months to get his muscles to relax after Crowley had him. That son of a bitch screwed up his whole system when he took him and now it's like each seizure is worse than the last. I don't know if he's stressing out about something and that's making it worse, or if his body just can't deal with the seizures anymore…I don't know what to do."

She walked over to Dean and gently rested her hand on his shoulder. "My friend is good at what she does. I know she won't know exactly what's going on with him, but she'll find a way to help him," she said. "But you need to calm down. He knows you're worried about this, and that's making him worry. Just keep things as normal as possible. I get that going on hunts is out of the question for him, but keep him in the loop and keep him as active as you can. The more active he is, the more tired he'll be by the end of the day."

Dean nodded, and then smiled, "That's actually the best advice I've heard." She cocked her head to the side in a silent question, so he said, "It's a lot harder to keep Alec on the sofa than it is to keep him busy."

* * *

 _2010_

 _"Why can't we just go to Bobby's house?" Alec asked, holding his hand as they walked over to the diner. "If he's not answering the phone, we should just go over there."_

 _He adjusted his stupid tie as he and Alec met up with Sam. "Because I don't think he's home," Dean said. "He would've already checked this out if he was here."_

 _"Still no answer," Sam said._

 _"Alright…Guess we just do it ourselves," Dean said. He crouched down in front of Alec and asked, "What's our cover?"_

 _"Bring your kid to work day," Alec said, rolling his eyes. "Dean, I already know what our cover is."_

 _"I'm just making sure," Dean said with a smile. He stood up again and ruffled Alec's hair before he followed Sam inside the diner. They walked over to a scraggly looking guy and sat across from him. He sat Alec in his lap, ignoring the guy's weird look. "Mr. Wells, why don't you tell us what you saw in your own words."_

 _"Call me Digger," the guy said._

 _Alec giggled, but Sam quickly cut in, "Digger? Who gave you that name?"_

 _"I did," Digger said._

 _"You gave yourself your own nickname?" Dean asked. "You can't do that."_

 _"Yeah, someone else has to give you the nickname," Alec said. "Otherwise you just look lame."_

 _"Who died and made you queen?" Digger asked with a scowl._

 _"Ok," Sam said before he could snap back. "Uh, why don't you just tell us what you saw?"_

 _"I saw Clay Thompson climb into Benny Sutton's trailer through the window. Couple minutes later, Clay walked out, and Benny's dead," Digger said._

 _He pulled out a picture and asked, "Is this the guy you saw?"_

 _"Well…he was all covered with mud, but, yeah. That's Clay," Digger said._

 _"And you are aware that Clay Thompson died five years ago?" Sam asked._

 _"Yep."_

 _"And you're positive that it was this guy," Dean asked to make sure._

 _"You calling me a liar?" Digger asked angrily._

 _"No, no, no. Of course not," Sam quickly placated. "Can you think of any reason why Clay Thompson, alive or dead, would want to kill Benny Sutton?"_

 _"Hell, yeah," Digger said. He looked at Alec guiltily, but then said, "Well, five years ago, Benny's the one that killed Clay in the first place."_

 _"Is that a fact?" Dean asked._

 _"Well, yeah, so-called 'hunting accident'," Digger said. "Now, if you ask me…Clay came back from the grave to get a little payback."_

"Go on," Dean said.

 _The guy opened his mouth, but his eyes shifted to the side, and then he warned, "Heads up. 'Fargo.'"_

 _A woman walked over to them wearing a sheriff's uniform and said, "Digger."_

 _"Sheriff…" Digger mumbled._

 _The sheriff looked at them and introduced, "Gentlemen. I'm Sheriff Jody Mills. I don't believe we've had the pleasure."_

 _"Agents Dorfman and Neidermeyer. FBI," Dean said easily._

 _"And it's what? Bring your kid to work day?" Sheriff Mills asked._

 _"Yep," Dean replied._

 _Alec threw his arms around his neck and smiled sweetly at the woman. "I wanna be just like my Dad when I grow up." He felt his heart swell hearing that from his little boy, even though Alec still would only call him Dad in public and this was technically just their cover. He really hoped some day Alec would actually think of him as his Dad and would actually call him that, he just didn't know how to bring it up with his little boy that it was ok._

 _Sheriff Mills smiled back at Alec, and then said. "Welcome to Sioux Falls, gentlemen. Can I ask what you're doing with Digger here?"_

 _"They're doing their jobs," Digger said angrily. "They believe me, Sheriff."_

 _Sheriff Mills looked at them in disbelief and asked, "The FBI believes a dead man committed a murder?"_

 _"Look," Sam said. "We're just asking a few questions, Sheriff. That's all."_

 _"Of course, if a dead man didn't commit the murder, then, uh, who did?" Dean challenged. He just couldn't let Sam smooth things over, and he knew his brother was shooting him his famous bitch-face right now._

 _"What'd you say your jurisdiction here was again?" Sheriff Mills asked._

 _"Our jurisdiction is wherever the United States government sends us," Dean said with a smirk. He was laying it on thick, but it was ok. He was pretty confident this was no big deal._

 _"Oh, yeah," Sheriff Mills said, her eyebrows raising in surprise. "How 'bout me and your supervisor have a little chat about that?"_

 _"Absolutely," Sam easily agreed. His brother handed her his business card, and she immediately dialed the number on it._

 _It was quiet for a minute, and Dean expected it would just go to voicemail since Bobby wasn't actually home to answer the phone. But then Jody said, "Agent Willis, this is Sheriff Jody Mills…Bobby?" His eyes widened and he shared a panicked look with his brother. "Is this Bobby Singer?" Sheriff Mills asked. She hung up and said, "FBI, huh?"_

 _"So…uh…So you know Bobby Singer?" Sam asked sheepishly._

 _"That is…a fun coincidence…" Dean muttered._

 _"Here's what I know about Bobby Singer," Sheriff Mills said. "He's a menace aroud here, ass-full of drunk-and-disorderlies and mail fraud."_

 _"No he's not!" Alec yelled. "Bobby's awesome and you don't know anything!"_

 _Sheriff Mills looked at Alec in surprise and he quickly wrapped his arm around his little boy. He should have been expecting Alec to defend Bobby as soon as the sheriff said something, but he hadn't thought fast enough to stop him from saying anything._

 _Sheriff Mills took a deep breath, and then snapped, "Whatever you are planning, it ends here. Now. Ten-four on that, Agents?"_

 _"Yeah…" Dean muttered._

* * *

 _He ran over to Bobby as soon as they got inside and jumped up on his lap. Bobby laughed and messed up his hair, but he felt Bobby tense when he spotted Dean and Sam._

 _"You know how many times we called? Where have you been?" Dean asked angrily._

 _"Playing murderball," Bobby grumbled back._

 _Dean scowled, "What's that smell? Is that soap? Did you clean?"_

 _"What are you, my mother?" Bobby asked sarcastically. "Bite me!"_

 _Dean motioned for him to come over there, and reluctantly he did. He loved Dean, and thought of his as his Dad, but he was still afraid Dean wasn't ready for that yet. But he also loved being at Bobby's, and he didn't want to leave if Dean was mad at Bobby. He didn't really know what was going on, but he had to admit that it was weird Bobby hadn't answered any of their calls. Bobby always answered whenever they called._

 _"Bobby, seriously," Sam said as he ran over and stood between the two taller men. Sam was a giant, and he kind of hoped that later maybe they could play outside. He knew there was a case and everything, but they were at Bobby's and they usually got to have some fun when they were at Bobby's. Dean tried to stop at parks when they were driving, but he still got really bored in between hunts. He'd never been to a park before he found Dean, but he liked them. They were even better when Sam and Dean decided to play with him._

 _"I've been working. You know, trying to find a way to stop the devil," Bobby said._

 _"Find anything?" Dean asked. He reached up and grabbed Dean's hand to see what he would do. Sometimes, he would pull him against his side or squeeze his hand or even smile at him. Dean pulled him against his side this time, and he couldn't help his small smile. He really loved living with Sam and Dean._

 _"What do you think?" Bobby snapped._

 _"Bobby, it's just…there's a case less than five miles from your house," Sam said slowly._

 _"What, the-the Benny Sutton thing?" Bobby asked in confusion. "That's what this is about?"_

 _"You knew about this?" Dean asked back._

 _"Hell yes," Bobby said. "I checked into it already. There's nothing here."_

 _"Except a witness who saw a dead guy commit murder," Sam said. He had to agree with Sam. This seemed like something Bobby should have checked out or at least he should take this more seriously._

 _"What witness? Digger Wells?" Bobby asked._

 _"Yeah. So?" Dean challenged._

 _"So, he's a drunk," Bobby said like it was obvious._

 _"Well, what about the lightning storms? They look like omens," Sam pointed out._

 _"Except in February in South Dakota in storm season," Bobby said. "Guys, I thought it was something too. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."_

 _He tugged on Dean's hand and asked, "What's a cigar?"_

 _"Something you smoke," Dean said. "You aren't allowed to have one."_

 _"Oh…ok," Alec said. He smiled to himself thinking about all the things Dean said he wasn't allowed to have. Dean was very protective and he liked that. He felt really safe when he was with Dean._

 _"So who killed the guy?" Sam asked._

 _"Take your pick," Bobby said with a shrug. "This Benny Sutton guy was a grade-A son of a bitch. There's a list of the living a year long wouldn't mind putting a cap in his ass."_

 _"Don't repeat anything Bobby just said," Sam said, giving him a stern look. He rolled his eyes and was rewarded with Sam's grumpy face. He thought it was hilarious now when Sam gave him a grumpy face. He used to think he was in trouble, but now it was just funny. Sam gave Dean the grumpy face all the time, so it was like he really was Dean's kid._

 _"So, you're telling us…nothing?" Dean asked._

 _"Sorry. Looks like you wasted a tank of gas on this one," Bobby said dismissively. He frowned; that sounded like Bobby wanted them to leave. He didn't want to leave. They just got here, and he wanted to stay a few days._

 _"Great…" Dean muttered._

* * *

 _He sat in the back of the Impala, mad that they were leaving Bobby's and mad that Sam and Dean wouldn't let him sit up front with them. Dean didn't think it was safe for him to sit up there, even though he'd sat up there with him before. Of course, that was when he was having seizures, but he liked sitting up front._

 _His head popped up in surprise when Dean suddenly stopped the car next to a cemetery. He smiled; this meant they were actually going to go do something. Dean wouldn't have stopped if he thought the hunt was really over._

 _"What's up?" Sam asked._

 _"Isn't that the graveyard back there?" Dean asked._

 _"Yea. So what?" Sam asked. "Bobby already checked it out."_

 _"And? What, Bobby's never wrong?" Dean asked. "C'mon. We'll take a peek, and then we'll hit the road. Can't hurt." He smiled, and then smiled even wider when Dean turned to look back at him. "C'mon kiddo, let's go check this out." He quickly scrambled to get out of the car and immediately ran over to Dean while Sam walked back to the trunk to get some things. The older man smiled at him, and then knelt down. "You want a piggyback ride?" Dean asked. He nodded and quickly jumped on Dean's back, loosely wrapping his arm's around the man's neck. Dean stood up again, making him remember that Dean was really tall too, just not as tall as Sam. "Since we didn't get to stick around Bobby's, this is the best I can do for some fun."_

 _"I'm having fun," Alec reassured. Honestly, anything was better than Manticore, but he didn't say that. Dean always got sad when he mentioned Manticore, and he didn't want to make Dean sad. "Do you really think something's going on?" Alec asked._

 _"Something fishy is goin' on," Dean said. "Bobby's not acting right."_

 _"Do you think it's zombies?" Alec asked, feeling just a little bit of excitement. Dean had shown him lots of zombie movies, but they'd never gotten to hunt one before. He thought it'd be a lot of fun to hunt zombies._

 _Dean chuckled, "I don't know about zombies…We haven't seen a zombie in years…"_

 _"You've hunted a zombie?!" Alec asked excitedly._

 _"Sam, remember that zombie chick?" Dean asked, nudging his brother. Sam rolled his eyes, so Dean said, "She broke Sammy's hand."_

 _"You made me be the bait," Sam grumbled. "She got mad when I shot her and shoved me out of the way."_

 _"You're just too delicate, Sammy," Dean teased._

 _"I am not," Sam argued._

 _He smiled and rested against the back of Dean's shoulder. This just felt so right to him. He wished he could have escaped from Manticore a lot sooner and found Dean._

 _"Hey," Sam said, stopping suddenly beside a grave with overturned soil. He focused on the tombstone and saw the name 'Clay Thompson'._

 _"That look fresh to you?" Dean asked._

 _"Yeah, actually," Sam said._

 _He wiggled off of Dean's back and landed lightly on the ground. He held out his hand expectantly, and Sam smiled and gave him the flashlight. For some reason, Sam and Dean thought he was too little to dig up a grave, so he was delegated to holding the flashlight while they dug up the graves. He guessed he should just consider himself lucky that he wasn't left in the car._

 _He watched as Sam and Dean dug up the grave, but he smiled when they opened the coffin and it was completely empty. They definitely had a case and his money was on zombies._

* * *

 _No matter how much he whined, complained, bargained, and begged, Dean wouldn't let him break into the dead guy's house with them. He was relegated to staying in the car until they decided it was safe. It was so stupid, but he was afraid to break the rules again. He definitely couldn't sneak out of the car again without getting in some major trouble. He didn't think Dean would get rid of him, but he didn't want to be stuck in the motel room while Sam and Dean went on hunts._

 _He played with the little army men Dean had given to him while he waited. He wanted to know what was going on, but he was bored just waiting here. He wanted to go back to Bobby's, especially since this was definitely a case again, but he figured Dean would go back there once they cleared this house. Something weird was definitely going on._

 _He quickly dropped the army men and looked up when he heard a noise. Sam and Dean were leaving the house with another man. If that was supposed to be the dead guy, he didn't look very dead. And he didn't look like any zombies he'd ever seen. Maybe this was a new species of zombies who could look mostly alive still until they decided they wanted to eat your brains out._

 _His eyes widened in alarm when he saw a sheriff's car screech to a stop and Sheriff Mills and another cop jumped out with their guns trained at Sam and Dean. He quickly got out of the car and ran towards Sam and Dean._

 _"Freeze! Drop your guns!" Sheriff Mills yelled._

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Alright. Hey," Dean quickly placated, his eyes jumping from the Sheriff to him, and then back again. He froze when Dean looked at him because he knew that look. Dean didn't like it when guns were pointed in his direction, and he usually did something reckless and stupid if he thought he was in danger. So, he froze and decided to wait so Dean wouldn't do something dangerous. "Remember the guy you said that was dead and couldn't possibly commit murder? There he is," Dean said, pointing to the possible zombie._

 _"And?" Sheriff Mills challenged._

 _"'And?'" Dean asked back, incredulously. "And you're welcome- for catching the undead killer zombie." He smiled; he was right that this guy was a zombie._

 _"Whatever he is or isn't, that doesn't give you the right to shoot him in the middle of the street," Sheriff Mills said._

 _He frowned, and then his mouth dropped open in surprise when Sheriff Mills suddenly handcuffed Dean. He ran over, but had to restrain himself from pushing the woman away from Dean. Instead, he decided to go with the little kid routine. "Why are you arresting my Daddy?" He asked, letting tears fill his eyes._

 _"Shoot me?" the zombie asked, actually sounding affronted._

 _"You're free to go, Mr. Thompson," Sheriff Mills told the zombie, completely ignoring him._

 _"Free to go?!" Dean exclaimed._

 _"I can't believe you were gonna kill me," zombie man muttered._

 _"You're a zombie!" He and Dean yelled at the same time._

 _"I'm a taxpayer," Zombie man responded._

 _He looked back at Sheriff Mills, but she was already leading Dean over to the police car. "Hey, hey, wait," Dean said. Sam was getting arrested too, and he was definitely feeling some panic overtake him. Sam and Dean were being taken away and he was being left alone. "Wait," Dean ordered when Sheriff Mills didn't stop. "Alec's gotta come too," Dean said. "He can't just stay here by himself. He's my kid. He's gotta come with me. Please."_

 _"You really think I was gonna leave him here alone?" Sheriff Mills asked back. "He's a little kid. Of course he's coming with us."_

 _"Alec, c'mon kiddo," Dean said with relief. He quickly ran over, feeling the same relief, and crawled into the cruiser, sitting between Sam and Dean in the back. He leaned against Dean, feeling a lot better knowing he wasn't going to lose the two people who mattered most to him. Dean actually leaned over and kissed the top of his head since his hands were cuffed behind his back. "Everything's gonna be ok," Dean whispered to him._

 _He saw Sheriff Mills look at them in the rearview mirror, but he decided he didn't like her. She arrested Dean and Sam, which meant he couldn't like her. He glared back at her, but he saw her smile as she looked away. He ignored her the rest of the ride, and then stuck as close to Dean as he could once they were at the jail._

 _"Alec, let's get you something to eat," Sheriff Mills said as she led Sam and Dean into one of the cells._

 _"No," Alec growled. "I want to stay with my Dad."_

 _"Alec, go with Sheriff Mills," Dean said. "Me and Uncle Sammy will be right here the whole time, ok?"_

 _"No, I wanna stay with you," Alec said, tears springing to his eyes again._

 _Sheriff Mills sighed as she unlocked the cuffs around Sam and Dean's wrists. "If you're ok with him being in there, I'm ok with it," she said._

 _He ran into the cell before Dean could say anything and slammed against the man's side. He heard Dean chuckle as he rubbed his back, and then Dean reassured, "He'll be ok." He let Dean pick him up, and he snuggled against his neck as soon as the older man sat down on the bench. "Alec, everything's ok," Dean whispered. "This isn't our first brush with the law. We'll find a way out of here."_

 _"I don't want to be left alone," Alec whispered back._

 _"Alec, I know," Dean said. "I wasn't gonna let you be alone. And Sheriff Mills wasn't gonna let you be alone either."_

 _"I don't like her," Alec said._

 _Dean chuckled, "You just don't like her because she arrested us."_

 _"And she's pro-zombies," Alec muttered._

 _Dean actually laughed and ruffled his hair, "Yeah, you've got a point there."_

 _Dean rubbed his back and held him close as they sat in the jail cell. Sam played thumb wars with him and 'would you rather', which Dean played too. It was a lot of fun and he made them both laugh when it was his turn to ask. They didn't care that he asked silly things like if they would rather eat crickets or worms. Dean tickled him and said gummy worms while Sam said crickets as long as they were chocolate crickets._

 _"Hey," Sam said, leaning forward suddenly and looking towards the front. He and Dean both looked and saw that Bobby was talking to Sheriff Mills._

 _"So, what? Now they're friends?" Dean asked._

 _Sam shrugged, but either way it was ok because Sheriff Mills came over a few minutes later and let them out of the cell. He let Dean carry him as Sam pushed Bobby's wheelchair down the hallway. He was feeling pretty tired now, especially since there had been so much excitement and now it was suddenly over._

 _"Bobby, I thought the sheriff hated you?" Sam asked._

 _"She did till five days ago," Bobby grumbled._

 _"What happened five days ago?" Dean asked._

 _"The dead started rising all over town," Bobby stated. He was way too calm to be talking about zombies like that. It sounded like it was very common occurrence around here, so maybe that was why Sheriff Mills was pro-zombie._

 _"So you knew about this?" Sam asked._

 _"Yep," Bobby simply replied._

 _"I think what Sam meant to say it, you lied to us?" Dean asked incredulously._

 _"Look, I told you there was nothing here. And there isn't. Not for you," Bobby said._

 _"There are zombies here," Dean stated._

 _"There are zombies…And then there are zombies. Come with me," Bobby muttered._

 _They swung by to get the Impala and he and Dean moved to it while Sam stayed with Bobby. He didn't know what was going on, and he could tell Dean didn't know either._

 _"Whatever's goin' on, you stay with me or Sammy, ok kiddo?" Dean said once they got closer to Bobby's. "I don't know what's up with Bobby, but he doesn't usually keep things like this from us."_

 _"Ok," Alec easily replied. He was more used to Dean's overprotectiveness now, and it made him feel good to know Dean wanted to keep him safe._

 _"But hey, you were right," Dean said, smiling at him in the rearview mirror. "It is zombies we're dealin' with."_

 _He gave him a wide smile and nodded; he just hoped he wouldn't be stuck in the car for the entire hunt this time._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry for the long delay, but here's the next chapter! This one has a flashback from season 7. Hope you all like it!_

* * *

Chapter 10

Present

"I hate this place…" Alec muttered. His leg was bouncing nonstop, which he could almost pass off as his seizures, except he was so nervous, he was making Ben nervous too. They were way too close…Ben always got nervous when he got nervous, and unfortunately, it worked both ways.

"Alec, relax," Dean said. "Jody vouched for this lady, and we all trust Jody, so this will be fine."

"They're gonna keep me here overnight," Alec said. "20 bucks. 20 bucks says I'm staying here overnight."

"You're on," Ben muttered, flipping through a magazine.

"I'm not betting with you. You don't even have any money," Alec said.

"Yes I do," Ben argued. "Every time you lose a bet, I get your money."

"I don't lose that often," Alec said.

"You lose enough to keep my wallet full," Ben said.

"No, I don't," Alec said.

"Yes-"

"Boys, not today," Dad cut in.

"He started it," Alec muttered.

"I did not," Ben argued.

"Yes-"

"Alec, knock it off," Dad said. "I get that you're nervous, but don't start pickin' fights with your brother."

"Fine…" Alec said, pouting just a little bit. But he didn't want to be here in the first place. He wanted the seizures to stop, but he didn't want to be in the hospital. Especially since he was pretty sure this place would have no idea what was wrong with him. They were going to run every test they could think of, poking and prodding him until he was beyond exhausted, and then they were going to admit him for overnight observation. He knew the drill because this wasn't the first time his Dad had panicked because of the seizures. He just wished he could've gotten his arm to stop shaking so this trip wouldn't be necessary.

"Alec," a woman said, walking in and scanning the waiting room.

He stood up, ignoring the help he got from both sides, and followed the woman behind the doors. He was tempted to ask the woman if she could measure Ben's height after she finished with him, but he decided their competition for who was the tallest should be put on the backburner since Dad was with them and he was still freaking out. Last time, Ben was still taller than him, but he was pretty sure he'd grown at least a little bit since last time. But he'd just have to find out another time.

He jumped through all the hoops, letting the woman take his blood pressure, weigh him, measure him, and even check his blood sugar before she led him to another room to wait. At least he didn't have to wear the hospital gown…yet. He knew it was coming though. As soon as this doctor lady saw how badly his arm was shaking, then he was going to be admitted, or at the very least, he was going to have to change into the hospital gown for the marathon of tests.

"Hey, I know this sucks," Dad said, rubbing his shoulder. "But we've gotta get your arm to stop shaking and get you sleeping again."

"Let's just get some over-the-counter stuff, it'll work just as good as prescription," Alec tried again.

"Just sit down," Ben said. "Prescription is stronger than over-the-counter, and even that's not strong enough for us. I vote they put you under."

"Bitch," Alec snarled.

"Jerk," Ben snapped back.

"Stop," Dad said. "Ben, leave your brother alone. Alec, sit down so we can get this over with. And no more fighting. Let's pretend we've been in public before…" He sat on the stupid table-bed and glared at the opposite wall. He hated this stupid place, and he wanted to go home. "This will be over before you know it," Dad reassured.

"Yeah…whatever…" Alec mumbled. Dad tried to put his hand on his shoulder, but he moved so he couldn't. He didn't want any comfort or any reassurances. He kind of wished his Dad and brother would go away, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. They didn't trust him to tell them everything the doctor said. They thought he was going to cover things up, even though he never lied about his seizures. He honestly did forget his pills sometimes, but he asked for help when he had a seizure.

"Sorry I'm late," a woman said as she opened the door and walked into the room. She was pretty with dark curly hair and blue eyes, looked a little older than Jody, and had laugh lines around her eyes. She smiled when she saw him and said, "You must be Alec. I'm Dr. Stephanie Wilson."

"Hi…" He muttered back.

She smiled though and said, "Jody told me to not take it personally if you didn't like me. She said you don't like any doctors."

"Well, she's not wrong."

"Maybe I'll change your mind," Dr. Wilson said. She looked over at his Dad and brother and said, "And you two must be Dean and Ben."

"Nice to meet you," Dad said, reaching out to shake her hand. Ben just crossed his arms and nodded, giving her a silent warning that she better not mess up. He smiled; every time he was mad at his brother, he always did something to make him forget about it.

Dr. Wilson turned back to him and said, "Let's start with the obvious injury, ok? If it's ok, I'll help you out of the sling."

He took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. "Fine."

She chuckled instead of getting annoyed with him, and helped him out of the sling. His arm shook horribly once the sling was off, making it impossible to hide. She gently took his arm in both of her hands, and slowly made her way up to his shoulder. "Is it just your right arm that shakes?" She asked.

"Today it is," Alec said shortly.

"Hey, I told you that you needed to cooperate," Dad said.

"Then how much are we tellin' this lady?" Alec asked angrily. "I thought this was just a quick trip to get some muscle relaxers, not a chance for me to tell my life's story to some lady."

Dad's jaw clenched and he closed his eyes like he was praying for patience. He took a deep breath before he slowly let it back out, and then he looked at the doctor. "He gets seizures. He takes tryptophan pills and that usually keeps them off, but he had one the other day and his arm hasn't stopped shaking since. He can't sleep and his back is killing him, which is a sign that he'll probably have another seizure. We're out of ideas."

"Ok…" Dr. Wilson said slowly. She looked back at him, and he knew instantly that he'd just won an overnight stay… "I'm going to run some tests to see if I can find what's going on. I'll set you up in a room, that way you'll be comfortable while you wait. After I run some tests, I'll give you a muscle relaxer, and if need be, a mild sedative, so you can get some sleep."

"Dad," Alec said, looking at his Dad hoping he knew what he wanted. Dr. Wilson just listed off more than one thing that he had a problem with, and he wanted to put his foot down and tell the lady to back off, but he'd already been told more than once to knock it off and cooperate, so this one was on his Dad.

"What tests?" Dad asked.

"Blood test, CT, reflexes, an MRI if we need it, and once he's in his room I'll set him up so we can watch his brain function and so we can see where the seizures are coming from," Dr. Wilson said. A huge list of things he didn't want to do. "And if none of those show me what we're working with, then I'll have a new set to run after that."

"No blood test," Dad said.

"And we already know what's wrong," Alec ground out. "I have a serotonin imbalance that causes the seizures. Tryptophan helps. I just need to get some sleep so I can get my stupid arm to stop shaking."

"Alec, maybe she can find something that helps more than tryptophan," Dad said. "I want you to stop having seizures, and the only way to do that is to trust someone to help us. I'm not a doctor. I only know so much…"

His Dad was giving him his 'please trust me, I can't handle anything happening to you,' eyes, and he couldn't say no to that. Unfortunately, Ben was giving him that same look. "No blood test," Alec finally muttered.

Dr. Wilson took a deep breath and said, "Alec, I really think we need a blood test."

"He can't have one," Dad said. "Jody said we could trust you, right?" Dr. Wilson nodded, so Dad said, "It's too complicated to explain, but a blood test would make this a very short trip." They didn't know if Manticore was really still out there or not, but they didn't take any chances with that. A blood test would still throw up red flags for anyone who might be looking, so they had to avoid that.

"Ok. We'll start with a CT scan after I do a physical," Dr. Wilson said.

"Um, you should also know…I got shot…" Alec mumbled with his head down.

Dr. Wilson was quiet for a long time before she said, "You're not going to make this easy, are you?"

He smiled for the first time in a long time, and shook his head no.

* * *

 _2012_

 _"Alec, we weren't supposed to leave Bobby's house…" Ben whined._

 _He rolled his eyes and said again, "Uncle Sam is a bag full of crazy, Dad's out looking for him, and Bobby's not back from the hospital yet. How is Dad supposed to really believe that we're gonna stay at Bobby's for hours and hours without any supervision and not do something we're not supposed to?"_

 _"Alec-"_

 _"Besides," Alec continued without missing a beat. "Suddenly Bobby's town is full of monsters again, and I'm not gonna just sit around and wait for them to find us. Me and Uncle Sam took down a ton of zombies the last time Bobby's town was full of monsters."_

 _"But Uncle Sam isn't here this time, and neither is Dad," Ben said. "We should have stayed at Bobby's."_

 _"You can go back if you want, but I'm going to explore…maybe find Sheriff Jody…" Alec muttered, looking up and down the street._

 _"Sheriff Jody is in the hospital, which is why Bobby went to the hospital," Ben said._

 _He rolled his eyes again and huffed in annoyance, "I just want to walk around for a while. We won't do anything dangerous."_

 _"And you won't steal anything either, right?" Ben asked to make sure._

 _"Fine," Alec growled. It wasn't a big deal, but Ben was a stickler for the rules. Dad didn't care if he broke the rules as long as he didn't put himself in danger. Now, if he broke the rules on a hunt, that was a different story. Dad would get really mad at him if he didn't listen or follow the rules while they were hunting, but Dad would never stay mad at him for long. Ben could learn to live a little._

 _"So…where are we going?" Ben asked curiously after they had walked down the street for a few blocks._

 _"The comic book store," Alec said. "Maybe I can talk Dad into coming here tomorrow and he'll get us both one. Or if it's too expensive, then maybe he'll just get us one and we can share. But we should go ahead and look since he won't want to stay at the comic book store all day, especially with all these monsters on the loose."_

 _Ben nodded in agreement, so they walked to the closest comic book store. They looked through stacks upon stacks of comics, easily losing track of time until the store owner told them he was going to close up in ten minutes._

 _He looked around, suddenly feeling a pit in his stomach. He thought maybe it was because he knew his Dad was going to be pissed that they disappeared for a few hours, but he knew these nerves felt different from that. He looked to his brother and saw that Ben was shifting his weight back and forth, preparing for action. He didn't know if they needed to be ready to fight or ready to run, but he wasn't taking any chances._

 _He motioned to Ben that they should leave out the back, but the little bell rang, signaling that someone was coming into the store. They heard the store owner tell whoever it was that he was closing up, but he was cut off very suddenly by a choked cry. He and Ben quickly peeked out to see what had happened, but their eyes widened when they saw one of the monsters chowing down on the owner. The monster had a huge mouth, with rows and rows of teeth._

 _He and Ben backed away at the same time, but he forgot about the stack of comic books that were behind him. He backed into them, causing them to slide to the floor. He cringed at the unwanted noise he'd caused, and tried to look if the monster had noticed them. It had…_

 _Ben grabbed his arm and tugged to get him moving. They both took off, but the monster was right behind them. He looked back and saw the monster had turned back into a man, and it was unfortunately able to keep pace with them._

 _He was just about to tell Ben that they needed to think of something else, when he was suddenly thrown off his feet. He hit the wall hard, causing his vision to black out for a second as he crumbled in a heap on the ground._

 _He heard his brother cry out in pain, which was enough to push past his own pain so he could help his twin. He ran over to see Ben on the ground, holding his side that the monster had just kicked. Without thinking, he jumped on the monster's back and tried to put the thing in a chokehold. Not his brightest idea since the monster had an enormous mouth of razor sharp teeth. He yelled as pain lanced up his arm; he could feel his blood dripping onto the floor, and he whimpered when his arm was wrenched the wrong way, snapping his bones. His shoulder was practically ripped out of its socket before he was thrown to the floor again._

 _He cradled his hurt arm against his chest and tried to come up with a plan B, but it was taking more effort than it should to block out the pain. He scrambled back as the monster came at him again, drawing its leg back to kick him. He closed his eyes and flinched even though it went against his training, but the kick never landed._

 _He barely opened his eyes, but immediately tried to push himself up when he saw Ben had tackled the monster. His brother didn't try to take the thing down completely though; he just got it to the ground, and then he popped back up and ran over to him._

 _Ben didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. He and Ben had gone through enough now that they hardly needed to speak when they were hunting, the few times they were allowed on the hunts. He held out his left hand, which Ben immediately took and hauled him to his feet._

 _They had to steady each other once they were both standing, and they leaned against each other as they made their escape._

 _Ben was limping badly and clutching at his right side, while he kept his right arm cradled against his chest to keep from jostling it too much and to try and staunch the blood flowing freely down his forearm, leaving a very obvious trail._

 _"What the Hell was that thing?" Alec asked as they slowly made their way down the street, trying to be as invisible as possible. It was night, but there were still some people walking down the sidewalks. He knew they needed to stay somewhere fairly public, so the monster wouldn't chase them, but people were giving them weird looks as they walked by. Two 11-year-olds, bleeding and limping down the street definitely drew some unwanted attention._

 _"Don't know…" Ben breathed out. He could hear the pain in his brother's voice, and he figured his brother could hear his pain too. "But we need to find a phone…call Dad…"_

 _He nodded, but he could feel his grip on consciousness starting to fail. That stupid monster had sliced right through one of his veins, so he was losing blood way too fast. "Ben…I'm not gonna made it…" Alec whispered. "We gotta go to the closest hospital…"_

 _"Alec, that's where the monsters are," Ben hissed._

 _His steps faltered and his vision blacked out for a second. He felt Ben's grip on his tighten, but he felt his knees give out, and then he was cushioned against his brother's chest._

 _"Alec, stay with me," Ben begged when his brother passed out. He roughly grabbed Alec's bleeding arm, and immediately knew what the problem was. Alec was losing blood way too fast…that stupid monster tore right through one of his veins. He had to get his brother to the hospital as fast as he could, but he couldn't let go of his arm or else he would bleed out right now._

 _"Hey," a gentle voice said, slowly crouching down in front of him. He was an older man, but he had kind eyes, and so far, he didn't look like a monster… "I called for an ambulance," the man said. "Can you tell me what happened?" He quickly shook his head no, but the man didn't get mad at him. Instead he asked, "Is it ok if I help get him to the ground?"_

 _"He's bleeding," Ben whispered. "If I let go…he'll die…"_

 _The man pulled out a handkerchief and held it out like a peace offering. "Here, let me wrap this around his arm. That will help stop the bleeding, and then we can get him the rest of the way to the ground." He didn't say anything, but he didn't stop the man from wrapping the handkerchief around Alec's arm as tightly as he could, and then he wrapped his hand around Alec's forearm. The man's hand was bigger than his, so he could cover more of the wounds than he could._

 _He let the man gently lower Alec to the ground, but he gasped when Alec's weight suddenly left him. There was a sharp pain in his side, and then he suddenly couldn't breathe. He gasped again, but he still couldn't get in a good breath._

 _"Son? You ok?" The man asked, looking up at him. He dropped to his knees suddenly and shook his head no. "I need some help over here!" the man called out, but his voice sounded really far away now, which didn't make any sense because the man was right in front of him. He tipped sideways, but he passed out, and he didn't know if he hit the ground or if someone else caught him._

* * *

 _He was incredibly confused, his head was pounding, his mouth felt dry, and it took him a minute to figure out what had happened and where he was. He looked to the side to see that he was in a bed and that he had something being pumped into his arm. He needed to get out of here…he needed to find his boys and Sam. And, this hospital was crawling with monsters. He and Sam were sitting ducks if they stayed here._

 _He pulled the IV from his arm and moved to get up, but yelped in surprise when his leg didn't do what he wanted. He fell on his ass, even more confused than before. His right leg was in a cast…_

 _He looked away from his leg though when he heard footsteps coming towards his room. His eyes widened comically when he saw Bobby walk into the room._

 _"You ok?" Bobby asked once he saw him sprawled on the floor._

 _"Bobby, you're alive," Dean replied in shock._

 _"'Course I am," Bobby stated. "Why are you on the floor?"_

 _"They gave me morphine…a lot…" Dean mumbled. Bobby reached down to help him up, and he accepted the help. "Bobby…where are the boys?" Dean asked, leaning against his bed. If Bobby was alive, then the boys could still be alive too. He'd had some hope that his boys hadn't listened to him and hadn't even been at Bobby's when the place had gone up in flames, but maybe they were here with Bobby._

 _"My place?" Bobby asked. "That's where you left 'em, isn't it?" His heart dropped; they weren't with Bobby…they weren't going to pop up out of nowhere asking him what happened and hang around him constantly to make sure he was ok. His boys really could be gone… "Dean?" Bobby prodded when he didn't say anything._

 _"The house…the house is gone…" Dean forced out. "There's nothin' left…we-we thought you were dead…"_

 _"Well, I ain't," Bobby growled. "Not yet. And those boys of yours probably didn't even stay at my place. You know Alec never listens when he's left alone for more than 30 minutes."_

 _"Bobby…"_

 _"We got to run," Bobby cut off. "If you wanna find the boys, then we need to go. This place ain't safe. Where's Sam?"_

 _"Uh…Head scan, I think…" Dean muttered. Bobby still thought the boys were alive, so maybe they were. He was too drugged up right now to really think about it._

 _"Meet me at the ambulance dock, stat. I'll find Sam," Bobby said._

 _"Wait, where?" Dean asked. How should he know where the ambulance dock was? Plus, he had a cast on his leg…how was he supposed to get there? "Bobby, I'm a gimp…"_

 _He watched as Bobby left, but he came back carrying some crutches. Bobby gave them to him, and helped him get them in position and helped him get dressed. "Hey, we'll find them," Bobby said, gently patting his cheek._

 _He nodded, and then slowly led the way out of the room. Bobby helped steady him when he nearly lost his balance, but he quickly got the hang of it, even though he was still heavily drugged. Bobby was just about to leave him to go find Sam, but something must have caught his eye because he froze._

 _"Bobby…what is it?" Dean asked, trying to lean over to see what Bobby was looking at, but his balance was too precarious for that._

 _"Change of plans…" Bobby breathed. His friend's face was whiter than a sheet and he was acting very strangely._

 _"Bobby-"_

 _"Dean, it's one of the boys," Bobby whispered. "One of the boys are down the hall being worked on by some doctors."_

 _"What?!" Dean exclaimed, quickly turning and heading for where one of his boys could be. Maybe they were in the fire, but had somehow gotten out and made their way here._

 _He heard Bobby call out for him to stop, but he only had one thing in mind right now. He had to get to his boys and make sure they were ok. Bobby was suddenly by his side again, staying with him step for step. He burst into the room just in time to see a doctor shove a tube into his son's chest. His son cried out in pain and tried to get away from the doctors, but they held him down and tried to soothe him._

 _He knew right away that it was Ben they were trying to hold down. He moved forward as fast as his broken leg would allow him and pushed one of the doctors out of the way. He ignored the protest from the doctor and quickly grabbed Ben's hand. His son froze at his touch and immediately looked at him._

 _"Dad!" Ben said in relief._

 _He held his son the best he could and said, "I'm here, buddy, I'm here…"_

 _"Sir-"_

 _"Shut up and give me a minute with my son!" Dean snarled._

 _"Dean, take a breath and relax," Bobby whispered._

 _He wanted to yell at Bobby too, but that was because he was just scared for his son. Ben was hurt and he had no idea where Alec was, but he really did need to calm down. He was going to freak Ben out if he kept this up. So, he took a breath and said as calmly as he could, "Somebody better tell me what's goin' on, right now."_

 _"Sir, your son was brought in with a collapsed lung," one of the doctors said, keeping his voice soft and soothing to try to keep him calm. "He has some broken ribs and a sprained ankle. We repaired his lung, but fluid was starting to fill his lung, which is why we were putting in a chest tube."_

 _"Ben, are you ok?" Dean asked softly, gently brushing his boy's hair off his forehead._

 _Ben nodded, but then said, "They won't tell me where Alec is…"_

 _"It's ok," Dean quickly reassured. "I'll find him, and then we're getting out of here."_

 _"What?! No, you can't leave," the doctor said in surprise. "Your son has-"_

 _"Nobody asked you," Bobby growled._

 _"I'll find him," Dean whispered to Ben. "Bobby's gonna stay with you until I get back, ok?"_

 _"Dean, we need to find Sam too," Bobby said._

 _"I know…but I don't feel comfortable leaving Ben alone," Dean whispered to Bobby. "Keep an eye on him and get him out of here if something doesn't feel right."_

 _"Don't worry, nothin' is getting its grimy hands on him," Bobby said. "Those boys are the closest I'm gonna get to grandchildren, so I'll be damned if somethin' happens on my watch."_

 _He smiled and gave Bobby a grateful nod. He kissed the top of Ben's head and promised, "I'll be back as soon as I find him." Ben nodded, so he gave him one more kiss before he slowly hopped out of the room. His head felt a little clearer now that he knew for sure that Ben was alive. Now, he just needed to find Alec, and then he and his family could get out of there._

 _He peeked into a few rooms, hoping that his youngest son would be nearby, but he didn't see him. He hopped down the hallway, but stopped when he heard a familiar cry of pain. He hopped as fast as he could, trying to find the source of the sound, and then stopped short when he finally saw his little boy._

 _A leviathan, dressed as a doctor, was gripping Alec hard while it's giant mouth moved to take a bite out of him. Alec weakly kicked at the monster, but he could tell his son didn't have much energy left. He quickly hopped in the room and whacked the leviathan upside its head with his crutch. He caught the monster off guard, causing it to release his son._

 _"Dad!" Alec yelled._

 _"C'mon kiddo, we've gotta go," Dean said, wishing more than anything that he could pick up his baby boy and carry him to safety, but his stupid leg prevented him from doing that. He did a quick scan over Alec and decided he was way too pale with what he assumed was from blood loss and his right arm was in a brace and a sling._

 _Alec hopped off of the bed, but he immediately collapsed. He quickly abandoned his crutches and picked up his little boy and held him close to his chest. "Ok…Ok, I've gotcha…" Dean breathed. "We're just gonna get back to Ben and Bobby, and then we're getting out of here."_

 _"Daddy…" Alec whispered. His little boy passed out, collapsing against him after a moment. He kissed the side of Alec's head and held him tighter. He had no idea what happened or how they even got here, but he had to get his boys to safety._

 _"I know, kiddo," Dean tried to reassure. He grabbed one of his crutches and quickly hopped out of the room. The leviathan was going to be after them again, so they couldn't stay here. He moved down the hall as fast as his broken leg would allow, holding his boy as close as he could._

 _He glanced behind them, which was a mistake. The leviathan was behind them, slowly trailing after them, teasing them. He tried to go faster, but this was top speed right now. Alec was a boneless heap in his arms and his leg was starting to ache, but he couldn't stop._

 _He glanced behind him again, and then yelled, "Bobby! Bobby, grab Ben and go!"_

 _A door ahead of him and to the right burst open and Bobby ran out holding Ben. "You got him?" Bobby asked, looking at Alec._

 _He nodded, "Find Sam. I'll meet you guys at the ambulance dock after I lose this guy."_

 _"Dean-"_

 _"Go. Keep him safe," Dean said, looking at Ben who was only slightly conscious._

 _Bobby nodded, and they both took off in opposite directions. He didn't know how Bobby was going to find Sam or how he was going to outrun this monster, but his boys depended on it. So, he moved faster than he ever thought possible and just prayed that Ben, Bobby, and Sam were all safe._

 _He finally made it to the ambulance dock and breathed out in relief when he saw Bobby sitting in the driver's seat of the first ambulance. He hopped to the back and threw open the doors, thankful to see Sam and Ben in the back. Sam was passed out on a stretcher, while Ben was curled up against his Uncle's side._

 _"Dean, you good back there?" Bobby asked._

 _He carefully sat down, keeping Alec close and making sure he could still reach Sam and Ben. His leg was killing him, Sam was ten kinds of crazy, and monsters were on the loose again, but he felt good because his family was safe, at least for a while. "Yeah…I'm good," Dean breathed._

* * *

Present

"Do we really need all these wires?" Alec asked, sounding really annoyed as Dr. Wilson put electrodes on his chest and connected them to a heart monitor. Alec had really been a good sport during all of the tests, but now they were in his room and he was at the end of his patience. He wished he could take his son back to Jody's, but he needed to sleep. And even if this didn't give them any answers, it would rule out some things.

"Yes," Dr. Wilson said patiently. "If you have a seizure, then this will alert one of the nurses."

"Great," Alec muttered. "When does actual sleeping come in?"

Dr. Wilson smiled and said, "I'll give you a muscle relaxer first to see if that helps. If you still can't sleep, then we'll move onto the sedative. Now, lie back and I'll get some more wires set up."

Alec sighed, but did what he was told. He groaned though when she started putting small electrodes around his head. "Seriously?" Alec growled.

"These are to map your brain," Dr. Wilson said. "If you do have a seizure, we'll see which part of the brain is being affected."

"How much do you wanna bet that there's nothing to map?" Ben gently teased.

"Better watch out," Alec warned. "You already owe me 20 bucks."

"You do know that I'm the one who has to sleep in the uncomfortable chair over there while you get to sleep in a bed, right?" Ben challenged.

"You could just go back to Jody's," Alec said.

Ben's eyes flashed in anger for just a second before he shut it down. "You might as well get used to the fact that me and Dad are staying, _and_ Uncle Sam and Jody are probably going to come as soon as Dad tells them that you're stuck here overnight," Ben said.

"Hopefully, I'll be asleep for the whole thing," Alec said.

"No argument here," Ben said with a smile.

"I'll see about getting a couple of cots in here," Dr. Wilson said after she finished putting on the electrodes. "And now I'm going to inject the muscle relaxer, ok?" Alec nodded, looking exhausted again, but hopefully his son would be sleeping again soon. "I'll check on you again in an hour to see if you're getting any sleep," Dr. Wilson said.

"Better get the sedative ready…" Alec muttered under his breath.

He smiled, but he didn't say anything. Ben almost immediately walked over to Alec and said, "Scoot over. If you think I'm going to sleep on a cot, you've got another thing coming…"

"You're so bossy," Alec grumbled. "Just because you're a tiny bit older than me, you think you can boss me around…" Alec did scoot over though, and Ben got into the tiny bed next to him. "You better not steal my blanket," Alec mumbled. "I'm the sick one here, not you."

"We're sharing body heat," Ben said, rolling his eyes. "And if you get cold, just tell the nurse and she'll get you another blanket."

"Then you better not kick me," Alec said. "I'm sick, remember?"

"Shut up, you're not sick," Ben said.

"Yeah?" Alec challenged. "Where are we right now, Ben?"

"Just because we're in the hospital, it doesn't mean you're sick," Ben said softly. "Now, aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"If you didn't talk so much, then I would," Alec said. He did sound a little sleepier though, so hopefully the muscle relaxer was actually working.

"You think _I'm_ the one that talks a lot?" Ben asked.

"You do when I'm trying to sleep…" Alec mumbled, scooting closer to his brother.

"This is the first time you've even tried to sleep," Ben said.

"My back hurts too much to sleep…" Alec said, slurring slightly now.

He glanced over at Ben and gave him a proud nod. His son was helping Alec forget about the pain and actually fall asleep. "I'm guessing the muscle relaxer is helping?" Ben whispered.

"Yeah…We'll see how long it lasts…" Alec mumbled.

"Try to sleep as long as you can, ok?" Ben said.

"Mmmhmm," Alec hummed right before sleep pulled him under.

* * *

"How is he?" Sam whispered, walking into the room. Ben and Alec were both fast asleep on a tiny hospital bed, curled around each other. Alec had way more wires attached to him than he thought he would, which was concerning. He thought his nephew would look better since Dean said he'd been asleep for eight hours, but he was still hooked up to a ton of machines.

"He's doing good," Dean whispered back.

"Why's he still hooked up to everything?" Sam asked.

"Dr. Wilson didn't want to wake him up, so she didn't mess with anything," Dean said. "This is the most sleep he's had since he got shot and his right arm is barely shaking now. The muscle relaxer really helped."

He walked over and sat in the chair next to his brother. "How long are you going to make him stay here?"

"Depends on how he's feeling when he wakes up," Dean said. "If he's got his seizures under control, then we'll head back to Jody's."

"It's a full house back there," Sam warned. "Mom and Jack are there, Alex, even Claire is back for a few days, and I think Donna's going to swing by too…"

"If it's too much, we'll make our way back to the bunker. Dr. Wilson said she would write him a prescription for muscle relaxers too, so at least we'll have a way to calm him down if we need to," Dean said.

"Do you want me to see if Ben will come back with me?" Sam asked. "Alec might get more rest if he's got the bed to himself."

"I doubt Ben would go," Dean said. "And Alec sleeps better with someone else anyway."

"Jack was asking if he could come see him too," Sam said. "But I told him Alec would be back by tomorrow."

"He's a good kid," Dean said with a small smile. "He's called twice to check on him."

"But we'll take him back tomorrow, right?" Sam asked to make sure.

"Yeah, I don't think Alec will agree to stay another day even if he needs it," Dean said.

He nudged Dean's leg with his foot and said, "You should get some sleep. I'll wake you up if Alec needs something."

His brother nodded and scooted lower in his chair. "If he wakes up, do not let him take off any of those wires. Buzz for the nurse and wake me up, ok?"

He chuckled and nodded, "Ok, Dean."

* * *

"Y'know, I made up a bed for you," Jody said with a teasing smile. "It's a quiet room with a big bed all to yourself."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Dad agreed that I could stay on the sofa. _And_ I slept for 12 hours at the hospital, so I'm not even tired anymore."

"Dad said you could stay on the sofa as long as you actually stayed on the sofa," Ben said from the armchair as he flipped through the channels.

"Did I mention that I moved a TV in there too," Jody said to try to tempt him.

"I'm good here," Alec said, stretching a little to try to work out the kinks in his back. His seizures were almost completely gone, but his muscles still ached from the constant shaking. Jody ran her hand through his hair before she walked to another room.

He and Ben weren't alone in the room for long though; it was a full house and everyone was trying to check up on him even though Ben refused to go to another room unless _he_ wanted to go to another room. Claire walked into the room, followed by Alex, and then Jack, who was holding an ice pack in one hand and a heating pad in the other.

"How's the invalid?" Claire asked, practically sitting on him when she plopped onto the sofa next to him.

"Be a lot better if someone didn't try to sit on me," Alec grumbled, pushing at Claire to try to get her to move, but she wouldn't. The two of them had a surprisingly easy friendship, even though Claire didn't get along with many people. But they both wanted to hunt, which meant they would always have something to talk about.

"Sorry, but this is where I like to sleep," Claire said.

"Yeah, the few times you decide to come visit," Alex said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Claire ignored Alex and instead asked him, "Seriously, are you feeling better?"

"Sore," Alec admitted. Claire had been with him during one of his seizures, so she knew how bad it got. It wasn't something they talked about, but he knew she kept a bottle of his pills in her bag just in case he ever needed them.

"Dean gave me ice and the heat pad," Jack said, holding them up helpfully.

He smiled a little and nodded for Jack to come over. It would make his Dad happy, and it would probably help to have something to either numb his muscles or soothe and relax them. Jack walked over and Claire got up so he could have more room. He smirked when she walked over to Ben. His brother caught sight of her and immediately fumbled with the remote until it fell to the ground.

"Um, hi, um…crap…" Ben muttered, trying to get the remote again, but he fell out of the chair and onto the floor.

He rolled his eyes, but decided to step in and save his brother some embarrassment. "Hey guys, I'm feeling pretty tired again," Alec said, shooting a look over to his brother. "So, I either need help to my temporary bedroom, or…"

"We'll leave you alone for a while," Alex said, giving him a small smile.

Jack started to leave when Alex and Claire left, but he quickly stopped him, "Hey, I still need some ice or something…"

"Oh, sorry," Jack said, coming back to him and holding out the ice and the heating pad. He took the heating pad since he hated ice, and then motioned for Jack to sit down somewhere. "You want me to stay? I thought you wanted to sleep…" Jack said in confusion.

"I was just trying to save Ben," Alec said. "He gets so awkward around Claire, it's hard to watch."

"I was gonna say thanks, but I'm not now," Ben mumbled.

"Whatever," Alec waved off, scooting down to get more comfortable. "Plug this in, would ya?" Alec asked Jack, holding up the plug to the heating pad. "And then sit down, 'cause you just standing there is makin' me nervous."

Jack smiled and nodded before he did as he was asked.

He relaxed as the heating pad started to work, soothing his aching muscles. He'd just slept for 12 hours, but he was pretty sure he could sleep for 12 more. "Hey Ben?" He mumbled before he was completely asleep.

"Yeah?"

"Wake me up when there's food, ok?"

"Ok, Alec."

* * *

 _So, Alec's finally on the mend again for now. There's a lot more to come, so hopefully there's still some interest!_

 _More soon..._


	11. Chapter 11

_This chapter has flashback from the end of season 9 to the beginning of season 10. Hope you like it!_

* * *

Chapter 11

 _2014_

 _He had tried to keep the twins at the bunker, but he knew they wouldn't stay there since they knew Dean was in danger. Their Dad wasn't acting like himself because of the Mark and it was killing them, but they refused to let him leave them. But he knew better, and he wanted to protect them from this._

 _He lifted Dean's lifeless body and got him over his shoulder to get him back to the bunker. He was getting Dean back. He would summon Crowley and he was getting his brother back. The boys needed their Dad._

 _He glanced back to make sure the twins were going to follow him, but Ben was tugging on Alec's arm, trying to get him back to his feet. "Ben," he called out as gently as he could through his tears. Ben immediately looked over at him, silent tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'll be back," Sam said. "Just stay with him, ok?" Ben blinked a few times and nodded, so he left the boys and went to the Impala._

 _"Don't worry Dean," he whispered to his brother even though he was gone. "I'm going back for the boys as soon as I get you in the car. I'll take care of them until I can get you back, ok?"_

 _He carefully got Dean into the front seat, cradling the back of his head and wishing more than anything that his brother was still alive. His tears started falling again just thinking about his brother's last words. Of course his tougher than nails older brother who always said he didn't want any chick-flick moments would make his last words the most touching thing his brother had ever said._

 _"I'll be right back," Sam said to his brother._

 _He ran back to the twins to see that they were in the same position that he'd left them in. Ben looked over at him when he walked in, still silently crying. Alec was on his knees, just staring blankly at the opposite wall. He pulled Ben into a tight hug, letting his nephew rest against his chest and trying to comfort him as much as possible._

 _He tried to pull away after a few minutes, but Ben refused to let go of him. "I know, buddy, but I've gotta talk to your brother, ok?" Sam asked him. Ben finally nodded and stepped back a little, but he was still easily within arm's reach. He crouched down next to Alec, carefully putting his hand against his nephew's shoulder. Alec didn't pull away from him, but he couldn't decide if that was a good or bad sign. "Alec, can you hear me?" Sam asked softly. Alec didn't answer him, or even look away from the wall he was staring at. "Alec, c'mon kiddo, we need to go back to the bunker."_

 _"He-he won't m-move," Ben said, stuttering through his tears._

 _"Alec, c'mon," Sam urged, cupping Alec's cheek to try to get him to look at him._

 _He was frozen. His Dad was gone. And it wasn't like when Dad and Ben were sucked into Purgatory, because then there was still a chance that they were still alive. There was no chance Dad was still alive this time. He saw Dad get stabbed. He heard Dad's last words. His Dad was gone and that was all he could think about. He couldn't even move._

 _He could hear Uncle Sam and Ben trying to talk to him and get him to move, but he couldn't do anything. Dad was gone._

 _"Alec, we can't stay here," Sam said, needing his nephew to snap out of this. Tears he could handle; not doing anything, he couldn't handle. "We have to get out of here, so I need you to try to move, ok?"_

 _Someone, probably his Uncle, gently grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. Something suddenly covered his eyes, blinding him from everything else. Normally, being blind would completely freak him out, but he could hardly feel anything; just a giant hole like his heart had been ripped out._

 _"Ben, get on his other side and help me get him back to the car," Sam whispered._

 _He realized about halfway to the car that they had blindfolded him because Dad's body was in the car. He wanted to stop and never move again, but his brother and Uncle kept him moving. And he didn't try anything to stop them. He just didn't know what to do anymore. His Dad was gone. His Dad was the first person he ever trusted and now he was gone._

 _"Alec, I'm opening the door, ok?" Uncle Sam asked him. "Just keep the blindfold on and Ben will stay with you the entire time."_

 _He moved because he was supposed to. He didn't really want to get in his Dad's car; he didn't want to sit in the only home he'd ever had without his Dad with him. He didn't want to go back to the bunker either, but he wasn't going to have a choice in whether he wanted to do something or not._

 _They drove back to the bunker in silence, and he and Ben waited until Uncle Sam took their Dad's body into the bunker before Ben even tried to talk to him._

 _"Alec…can I take off the blindfold?" Ben asked, trying really hard to sound alright. But he knew his brother was as messed up about this as he was, so he nodded and let Ben take the blindfold off of him. "Do you want to go inside?" Ben asked._

 _"Not really…" Alec muttered, speaking for the first time. "But I don't want to be in here either…"_

 _"What do you want to do?" Ben asked softly._

 _He was quiet for a few minutes while he thought about it, and then finally said, "I want to disappear…"_

 _"Disappear? Like…die?" Ben asked in concern._

 _"No…just take off and disappear," Alec said. "At least for a while…I can't take losing anyone else…" Jo, Ellen, Rufus, Bobby, Kevin…and now Dad…he could handle losing anyone else he loved._

 _"Ok," Ben said. "Should we tell Uncle Sam we're taking off for a while?"_

 _"We?" Alec asked. "You wanna come with me?"_

 _"Of course I wanna come with you," Ben said. "You're my brother." He felt like he was about to break down, and he tried to hold it off, but then he just completely fell apart. Ben's arms immediately wrapped around him to try to help him, but his Dad was gone and he wasn't coming back. "Alec, how 'bout we just go in and grab some things, huh? And we can leave a note for Uncle Sam so he doesn't have a heart attack when he figures out we left. And we can steal some motorcycles from the garage if you want to, so we don't have to walk. How does that sound?"_

 _"We-we're only f-fourteen…" Alec mumbled._

 _Ben chuckled and sniffled loudly in his ear, "I suggest we steal motorcycles and you decide we're too young to drive them…"_

 _He chuckled too, hiccupping slightly, "I s-s-s-sound like y-you…"_

 _"Finally," Ben gently teased. "Now, c'mon, we need to get inside and get some stuff before Uncle Sam finds out and tries to talk us out of this. We'll grab some clothes, food, money, and our weapons before we get to the garage. How 'bout I write the note while you find your cash and our secret stash of weapons?"_

 _"Ok…" Alec whispered._

 _So, that's what they did. They packed up some things, and then took off. They decided to walk instead of stealing some motorcycles since their Uncle would know what was missing and would be able to call it in, but they would find some form of transportation once they got away from the bunker. But they were leaving, at least for a while. They needed to get used to the fact that their Dad was gone and they needed to do that by themselves._

 _He looked back at his Dad's car one more time before they walked into the tree line and disappeared from sight._

* * *

Present

"So, now that I'm back on my feet, when can we finally start hunting again?" Alec asked.

They were all sitting around Jody's table eating dinner, but of course his brother had to bring up hunting while they were eating. It didn't matter to Alec that he was just now able to walk without needing help, he just wanted to get back into hunting.

"Alec, we already talked about this," Dad said. "You're benched."

"You benched him?" Ben asked in surprise. Alec could talk his way out of anything; there was no way Dad held his ground against Alec's argument to still be allowed to hunt. His Dad always caved when Alec really wanted something.

"Yeah, I benched him," Dad said before Alec could jump in. "His seizures are getting worse and we might not get any warning the next time he has one. He can't hunt like this."

"I'm fine," Alec said. "Even my bullet wound is better, which means my seizures won't be so bad."

"Alec, I said no," Dad stated. "We'll find a way to permanently fix the seizures, and then you can get back to hunting, but not until then."

"But-"

"We can work on finding out where Cas and Lucifer went," Ben cut in before Alec could start arguing.

"Yeah…like I really want to find out where Lucifer is," Alec muttered sarcastically. "Plus, Cas still doesn't really like us."

"He's still helped us before," Ben pointed out. "But if you don't want to do that, then we can help Jack get used to the real world and get caught up on everything."

"I can still hunt," Alec said. "I just won't go on demon hunts or ones with more than one monster."

"Alec, I said no," Dad repeated. "Drop it or else Uncle Sam will find more homework for you to do."

His brother's jaw clenched, and he knew his brother wanted to argue more, but he also didn't want more homework to do. Their Uncle had decided to homeschool them since they moved around so much, and he'd heard that Alec had a lot of trouble in public school, but most of it was still too easy for them. Uncle Sam tried to find things that they didn't know about, but Alec didn't have any interest in it and usually managed to get them off track when Uncle Sam was teaching them.

"Alec, let's go see what Claire's doing," Ben suggested.

"Alright…" Alec grumbled as he slowly got up. "C'mon Jack, you're going too." Jack smiled at being included and quickly stood up to go with them.

"Stay _at_ Jody's," Dad said. "Do not leave this property even if Claire's going off to go do something. I will be checking on you in about fifteen minutes, so don't get any ideas."

"Don't worry," Alec said. "We promise not to have any fun."

He quickly grabbed his brother's arm and drug him out of the room before he could say anything else.

Dean dropped his head into his hands even though he'd been expecting Alec to have an attitude with him when hunting finally came up again. But he couldn't let his son hunt while he could still have seizures. His number one priority was to take care of his boys, which meant he had to bench Alec from hunting even though that was his youngest son's favorite thing to do.

"Hey, he can't hunt like this," Sam said, saying what he was thinking. "We'll find a way to stop the seizures for good, and then he can go back to hunting."

"I lost him once…I won't lose him again," Dean said. He could barely function when Crowley had taken Alec, and he wasn't going to go through that again.

"Dean, we'll find a way to stop the seizures," Sam repeated.

"I've already put out some feelers for anyone who could've been part of Manticore," Jody said. "And the muscle relaxers really seemed to help him. I'm not saying he should be hunting, but treating him like he should be in bed all the time won't help him."

"We can keep him busy with looking for Cas," Mary said. "It seems like he doesn't want to look, but an alternate universe will probably be enough to catch his attention."

"That's true," Sam agreed. "Alec loves a mystery, it just takes a little bit to get him interested."

"And this seems pretty complicated, so it might actually take him a while to figure this one out," Jody added.

He nodded and said, "Alright, how 'bout we split up after dinner. I want to go to the Sheriff's office to try to search for any names from Manticore that we can find. I'd even take a janitor at this point, I just want some kind of lead to help Alec. And we need to find where Cas is. He's kinda been put on the backburner since Alec's been hurt, but we need to find him. He's never actually said if the angels really wiped out all of Manticore or not, so he might still be able to help find someone, but only if we find him."

"I'll go with Jody to the Sheriff's office to see if we can find anything," Sam said.

"And we'll start on the alternate universe," Mary said, looking at him.

He nodded in agreement as he slowly stood up, "I'll let the boys decide where they want to go, but I'm guessin' Ben will go with Sam and Alec will come with me. And there's no tellin' what Jack's gonna do."

"I'll go with you," Sam said, following him out of the room. His brother waited until they were outside before he said, "Alec's going to be ok. He knows you're worried, so he'll be done with his temper tantrums soon, and then he'll cooperate."

"I know…I just hate it when he's mad at me…" Dean muttered.

"He's never been able to stay mad at you for long," Sam said.

"I still hate it…" Dean said.

He smiled though when Alec looked over at him and instantly jumped up to see what was going on. Ben looked over as soon as Alec was up, and both of his boys started over to him. He didn't know what he would do if he ever lost his boys.

* * *

 _2014_

 _He hated that he had to do this to his brother, but he had to get him back. But he looked even worse this time than he did last time. Dean was strapped to the chair again, but instead of taunting him, this time he was slumped over, practically unconscious. He was afraid he was killing his brother instead of saving him. But he needed Dean back. Getting Dean back was the only way he would get the boys back._

 _He carefully pulled the needle from his brother's arm, but his brother didn't react at all. "What the Hell are we doing to him, Cas? I mean, even after I gave him all that blood, he still said he didn't want to be cured, that he didn't want to be human," Sam said miserably._

 _"Well…I see his point," Cas said. "You know, only humans can feel real joy, but…also such profound pain. This is easier."_

 _He knew this was easier for his brother, and it was just going to get worse if he did come back. As soon as his brother found out that his twin boys were gone…he didn't know what Dean would do. He'd tried to find the twins ever since Dean had died, but every time he got close, they would disappear again. They were too good at staying hidden; he needed Dean back to get the twins back. He was just glad the twins didn't have to see their Dad as a demon…_

 _He focused on his brother again when he finally started to stir. He grabbed the flask of holy water and slowly unscrewed it as his brother looked up. His eyes were still black, but thankfully the black dissipated. Dean groaned as he looked up and let out a short huff of a breath. He looked around uncertainly, but he and Cas just watched him for a few seconds._

 _"You look worried, fellas…" Dean muttered._

 _He splashed holy water on his brother's face, even though he knew his brother hated it, but he had to know for sure that his brother was no longer a demon. Dean looked up at him when nothing happened, making him smile. "Welcome back, Dean."_

 _"What happened?" Dean asked in confusion._

 _He and Cas moved at the same time to undo the straps over his brother's wrists and ankles, and then he reached out to help his brother up. Dean was pretty unsteady on his feet, but even with his one arm he was able to keep him up._

 _"What do you remember?" Sam asked instead of answering Dean's question. He didn't want to tell his brother everything that happened. This was the first time he'd had his brother back since he'd died; he just wanted a minute with just him and his brother. Cas must have sensed that's what he wanted because after he made sure Dean was steady enough to stand on his own, he left the two of them alone._

 _"Sam…" Dean said brokenly._

 _"Hey, let's go to your room, ok?" Sam suggested. "You can rest and I can fill you in on a few things…"_

 _"Sam, where're my boys?" Dean asked, looking around again._

 _He sighed even though he had been expecting his brother to ask about the twins as soon as he was back. "Dean, let's go to your room," Sam said again. "There's a lot to tell you and I think you need to sit down when you hear it…"_

 _"Sam, where are they?! What happened to them?!" Dean asked almost hysterically._

 _"They took off," Sam said quickly. "They left me a note, but you need to sit down, ok? And I don't want to stay in here."_

 _Dean finally nodded, so they slowly walked to his brother's room. He got Dean sitting on his bed before he pulled the note from his pocket. It was wrinkled and folded, and some parts could barely be read anymore since the ink had faded. He knew every line of the note, he knew Ben was the one who wrote it, he knew Ben had been crying when he wrote it even though there were no tear marks on the page, and he knew one line was from Alec even though the handwriting never changed. He could almost imagine the boys in their room, Alec packing their bags while Ben carefully wrote this letter. He imagined Ben looked up at one part and asked his brother if he wanted to add anything, and Alec spoke for the first time during the entire thing, but it was such an Alec thing to say that it made Ben smile just like it was supposed to. And Ben put it in the letter to try to make him smile too, which it always did even though he knew what it was going to say._

 _He slowly handed Dean the note, so he could read it too._

 _Dean stared blankly down at the only connection he had left to his boys. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he needed them. But Sam hadn't been able to find them, so how was he? His boys could be gone forever. But he couldn't not read the letter._

 _'Dear Uncle Sam' He knew immediately that it was Ben who wrote the letter. Alec's handwriting was slanted more and messier, like he was always in a hurry. Ben's handwriting was always neat and everything was carefully written, like he had to take his time so he didn't mess anything up._

 _'Please don't panic, but Alec and I are leaving. We need some time to come to terms with the loss of our Dad. Alec only just started to talk to me again, and I know he can't handle being in the Impala or in the bunker right now. Everything will just remind us of our Dad, and we'_

 _"I can't read some of it…" Dean whispered._

 _"We need some alone time," Sam said, already knowing where his brother was at in the letter._

 _Dean nodded and looked back at the letter._

 _'I don't know how long Alec wants to stay gone, but I'm going with him, so you don't have to worry too much about him. And we packed our pills and enough food and water to get by for a while. And Alec has a pretty big stash of money and weapons, so we should be fine. Don't try to call us because we know that you can track our phones, so we aren't taking them with us. You won't be able to find us, so you shouldn't waste your time. I promise that'_

 _Dean looked up again, so he filled in, "I promise that we'll be safe, but I will call you if we need something."_

 _'Try to stay calm and don't get your boxers in a twist.'_

 _Dean chuckled and wiped a tear from his eye, "That was Alec, wasn't it…"_

 _"Yeah, it was," Sam said with a small, sad smile. "He got that from you, you know."_

 _"I know," Dean said._

 _'And don't worry because we'll be back. We just need more time. Bye Uncle Sam.'_

 _Dean took a deep breath before he carefully folded the letter again. "Any idea where they're at?" Dean asked._

 _"Last I heard they were in Louisiana," Sam said. "They took out a night club of vampires, but as soon as I got there, they were gone."_

 _"When was that?" Dean asked._

 _"A month ago," Sam said. "I hear from other hunters sometimes who say they've seen them, but they never stay in one spot for very long."_

 _"Dammit…" Dean breathed, dropping his head into his hands._

 _"Dean, we'll find them," Sam said. "I'll put the word out that you're back and they'll get curious and call me."_

 _"Did they know I was a demon?" Dean asked._

 _"No, not that I know of," Sam said. "They might have heard about it from another hunter, but I doubt they would have believed them. And I've only talked to them once since they left, and I didn't tell them."_

 _"They called you?" Dean asked._

 _"Ben got hurt and Alec panicked," Sam said. "He called to ask if he should take Ben to the hospital or if he should just try to stop the bleeding and set the bone himself. I tried to convince him that I could meet him wherever he was and help, but he said he wasn't ready. I told him as much as I could to help him with Ben, and then he hung up on me."_

 _"When was that? Do you know if Ben's ok?" Dean asked in a rush._

 _"That was a few months ago and the word I got from the hunters was that it was twins who took out the night club," Sam said. "And if Ben would've gotten worse, then Alec would have taken him to the hospital and I would've found them."_

 _Dean nodded, and then asked, "So, if they don't call…how're we going to find them?"_

 _"We just need to find a hunt that they would want to take," Sam said. "And then we need to get there before they do and wait."_

 _"Vampires and werewolves are their favorites," Dean said._

 _"And they like the big cases," Sam said. "They look for nests and packs and take them all on at once. They're both more reckless now…"_

 _"Great…" Dean muttered. "This is all my fault…"_

 _"Dean-"_

 _"If I hadn't died, they never would have left," Dean cut off._

* * *

Present

"So, what are we looking for?" Ben asked as he scrolled through pages and pages of useless information. He wanted to find a way to stop Alec's seizures, but he had no idea what he was looking for. He'd left Manticore when he was nine and he hadn't known anyone's name while he'd been there except for Lydecker. But nothing popped up when he typed in Lydecker.

Besides, they'd been told over and over again that all the transgenics had been wiped out except for him and Alec. But that didn't necessarily mean that everyone from Manticore was gone. And as much as he didn't want to find anyone from Manticore except for his other siblings, he needed his brother to be ok.

"Anyone you think might be able to help," Uncle Sam said. "We'll contact everyone on the list and hope that at least one person will be able to help."

He scrolled and scrolled and scrolled for what seemed like hours, but he didn't really find much. He was glad that Alec wasn't there with them though, and really, that Dad wasn't there either since neither of them could deal with boredom. He smiled thinking about Alec spinning around in his chair or flipping through the pages of anything he could find without even looking at them. Alec was fantastic at research as long as it was something he wanted to actually research. Otherwise, his brother might as well be five-years-old because that's how mature he was when he was bored.

"Sam, how about we call it a night," Jody suggested after they had looked for about four hours.

"Just a little bit longer…" Uncle Sam muttered without taking his eyes off the screen in front of him.

"Sam, we won't find the answers in a day," Jody tried to reason. "We've made a good start, and we'll look again tomorrow."

"We need to find enough to show Dean that we're actually making some progress," Uncle Sam said. "He needs to see that there's some hope, even if it turns out to just be a false lead."

He silently agreed with his Uncle. His Dad and Uncle both needed something to reassure them that Alec was going to be ok. His brother put on a good act, but each seizure seemed to wear him out just a little bit more every time. Each time took more time to recover and his shaking was worse. They all needed some kind of lead to reassure them that Alec was going to be ok.

"Sam, we'll find something," Jody reassured again.

He tuned out his Uncle and Jody so he could focus on the screen in front of him. He frowned and cocked his head to the side when he found a search related to barcodes tattooed on kids. Someone was looking for transgenics…

He scanned the page, and then scanned it again to see if there was anything else, but there wasn't. The only other thing listed was the name of the private investigator who had run the search. Dan Vogelsang. He searched the name and found a phone number for the guy and an address out of Washington. He didn't know if this was a real lead or not, but it had to mean something that this guy was searching for kids with barcodes tattooed on the back of their necks.

"Uncle Sam…" Ben said slowly.

"Yeah buddy?" Uncle Sam asked back, his voice tired.

"I think I might've found something," Ben said. "It's not much, but…"

Uncle Sam immediately got up so he could look over his shoulder. He scanned the two pages he had up side by side and slowly nodded. "Print that…"

"You think it's a real lead?" Ben asked, looking up at his Uncle.

"I think it is…" Uncle Sam said, giving him a slow smile. "He's gotta know something since he knows about the barcodes…" He smiled as Uncle Sam messed up his hair and praise, "Good job, Ben."

* * *

"Dean, how far are we going?" Mom asked him after he'd been driving for two hours.

"I just wanna be far away from Jody's before I get ahold of Crowley," Dean said. "He doesn't need to know where we're staying…" He glanced in the rearview mirror at Alec and Jack who were both asleep. Even though his youngest was doing a lot better, he still didn't have as much energy as he usually did. He fell asleep about 30 minutes into their driving, falling over onto Jack just like he always did to Ben. And Jack fell asleep not long after, just like Ben did when it was just his twins back there.

"You really think Crowley will know how to get into the alternate universe?" Mom asked.

He shrugged, "He knew about the place, so he's our best lead. He's probably just playing games with us now since he's just telling us one thing at a time…" He looked back at Jack for a second and shook his head. "How the Hell can Jack open the door to another universe?"

"You saw what he could do back at the diner," Mary said. "And he's a Nephilim…There's no telling what he can do until he figures it out for himself."

"So, we might be hauling around a ticking time bomb…" Dean grumbled. He liked Jack, but if he was a threat to his boys…he didn't know what he would do. He didn't want to kick the kid to the curb, but Jack could be extremely dangerous. If he lost his temper and used his powers without knowing how to control them, he could seriously injure his sons.

"We can't kick him out," Mary said, practically reading his mind. "We just need to help him learn how to control it."

"I know…" he whispered. "I just wish one thing could be easy…"

"We'll figure it out," Mary reassured.

He nodded and started to slow down and pull over to the side of the road. He reached back once he was parked and gently shook Alec's knee. Alec grumbled a little and pushed his hand away, so he said, "C'mon kiddo, time to get this show on the road."

"Five more minutes…" Alec mumbled.

He shook his head in amusement; this made him think of all the times it was just him and Alec. As soon as his little boy was used to him, it was almost impossible to get him up in the morning. He decided it was because of the cat DNA that Manticore added to his boy, it made him like to take naps and sleep longer when he was warm and comfortable. "C'mon kiddo," Dean said. "I'm gonna call Crowley."

Alec groaned, but finally started to wake up. He didn't want to drag Alec out to see Crowley, but this got Alec out of the house and would hopefully get them some answers about how to get into the alternate universe.

The four of them got out as he tried to get ahold of Crowley. The phone just kept ringing, and he was just about to give up when the demon appeared out of nowhere. "Dammit Crowley," Dean growled.

"You rang?" Crowley said with a smirk.

"We need answers," Dean said. "You told us Jack could open the door to the alternate universe. How?"

"How should I know?" Crowley asked back.

"How did you know Jack could do it?" Mary asked.

"He's a Nephilim," Crowley stated. "He's the one that sent them there in the first place."

"How?" Dean stressed. "We need to get Cas back, so how did he do it?"

"How should I know?" Crowley said with a shrug. "He'll have to figure that out for himself."

"So, you're useless," Alec said with a small smirk.

Crowley glared at Alec and said, "Nobody asked you, chipmunk. You're just lucky Juliet's not around to use you as her own personal chew toy…"

He immediately pulled Alec away from Crowley and threatened, "You don't get to talk to him. Ever. Next time you even look at him funny, you're dead. Got it?"

Crowley just smiled before he disappeared.

* * *

 _2014_

 _"Alec, we're way in over our heads this time…" Ben muttered, crouching down beside his brother. Alec reached up and grabbed his hand, so he hauled his brother back up and quickly looked him over to make sure he was ok. He had a gash above his eye and he was going to have some bruises from going through a wall, but otherwise he looked ok._

 _"There's only four left," Alec said. "We just take them out, and then we'll be good to go."_

 _"We're low on ammo," Ben pointed out._

 _Alec checked his clip, "I've got two rounds left."_

 _"And I only have two, so it's stupid to stay and look for them," Ben said._

 _"There's only four left though," Alec argued. "There's four left and we have four rounds. We're good."_

 _"What if more show up? Or what if we miss?" Ben asked. "Then what's our plan?"_

 _His brother thought about it for a minute before he finally nodded, "Alright, but we're coming back tomorrow. We've only got one more night to get rid of these guys…"_

 _"I know, but we'll come back tomorrow," Ben said. "We'll have more ammo, so we'll be good."_

 _"We better go before they regroup," Alec said, patting his shoulder._

 _They started to sneak towards the back of the old house when they heard movement from upstairs. They needed to run, but he'd sprained his ankle when he had stepped through a floorboard and nearly fell into the basement. That was when Alec had been thrown through the wall, and he'd just barely gotten his leg free in time to shoot the werewolf that was headed for his brother._

 _Alec quickly grabbed Ben's arm and looped it over his own shoulders, so he could take on some of his brother's weight and they could hopefully move a little faster. He could tell Ben was limping even though he hadn't seen what had happened. It didn't matter though, since now he knew they needed to get out of there. If he would have realized his brother was hurt sooner, then he wouldn't have argued with him in the first place. He hated it when Ben was hurt, especially now that it was all up to him whether his brother was going to be ok or not. He wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to his brother._

 _"Alec, I'm ok," Ben softly reassured. "It's just a sprain, so I'll just ice it and wrap it when we get back to the car."_

 _He nodded even though he wanted to correct his brother and tell him that_ he _would be the one wrapping his ankle for him. Ben never let him take care of his own injuries, so he wasn't going to let Ben do that either. But he was glad Ben had let him steal another car. At least now they had a quick getaway instead of limping through the woods back to civilization. They just had to make it back to their car first._

 _Both of them jumped when the ceiling suddenly fell in right in front of them and a werewolf dropped down, snarling and snapping its teeth at them. They immediately took a step back, but then another one dropped down behind them._

 _Alec quickly lifted his gun and shot the werewolf in front of him in the heart, but the one behind them attacked before he could swing around to kill him too. The werewolf easily knocked them off their feet, shoving Ben across the room into an old door, that crumbled beneath his weight._

 _The werewolf swung at him, but he jumped out of the way. Another one came up behind him though, and he didn't move fast enough on that one and its claws easily tore through his layers of shirts._

 _Ben tried to push himself up as fast as he could when he heard his brother's cry of pain. He aimed at the monster that was right behind Alec and shot it before it could do any more damage. But his shot alerted the first werewolf that he was back on his feet and the thing instantly changed directions and went after him instead of Alec, which was exactly what he wanted it to do._

 _He took that one out before it could do anything, but that was his last round of ammo. And now, he and his brother were even more injured than before and there was still at least one left._

 _Alec pushed himself back to his feet, keeping a tight hold on his bleeding left side. The werewolf's razor-sharp claws tore four deep marks through his skin, one even digging into one of his ribs. He took slow, steadying breaths to try to breathe through the burning pain in his side. His warm blood spills over his fingers, but then Ben's hand was there, putting more pressure against his side._

 _"You gotta push harder than that to stop the bleeding," Ben gently teased._

 _"Shut up," Alec grumbled._

 _"C'mon, we really gotta go now," Ben said._

 _"Here," Alec said, passing over his gun. "I've got the last round, but I'm shaking too much…"_

 _"Alright," Ben said, trading guns with his brother._

 _They slowly started walking and limping to the door again, and they were just about there when the last werewolf showed up. Ben shot at it, but it moved at the last second, so he only clipped its shoulder. It charged at them after that, easily knocking him down and going straight for Ben since he was the one that shot at it._

 _He pushed himself up again, but he saw the thing slam Ben's head against the ground, making his brother go completely limp. It started to lower its mouth to Ben's neck, and he knew he wasn't going to make it in time. And even if he did, all he could do would be to tackle the thing, and then it would kill them both anyway since he couldn't put up much of a fight right now. The only consolation was the fact that at least he and his brother were going out at the same time._

 _He dropped instinctively when another gunshot tore through the air. The bullet hit the werewolf, killing it instantly, but the deadweight landed on top of Ben. He wanted to go help his brother, but he needed to know if the person who had just shot the werewolf was going to be their savior or a new threat that he'd have to figure out how to take down._

 _His heart actually stopped when he saw his Dad walk into the room, his gun still pointed at the dead werewolf. His eyes filled with tears and he shook his head in denial as he reached for Ben's gun. Dad looked to him once he was sure the werewolf was dead, but he quickly raised his hands in surrender when he aimed Ben's gun at him._

 _His Dad was dead. Whoever this was, was some monster trying to get to him and Ben. His Dad didn't have to know that he didn't have any ammo left, but if this really was his Dad, then he would already know he was out since he didn't kill the werewolf._

 _"Alec, it's really me," Dad whispered. "Uncle Sam's here too."_

 _"My Dad's dead," Alec snapped. "I saw him die. You're not my Dad."_

 _"I did die," Dad said, taking a slow step closer to him. "But Uncle Sam got me back."_

 _"Stop, or I'll shoot you," Alec warned._

 _Dad gave him a sad smile and shook his head no, "Alec, you don't have any ammo, kiddo…" And then he was sobbing. Dad ran over to him and quickly wrapped his arms around him. "Sam!" Dad yelled, his chest rumbling against him. "They're in here!" He heard Uncle Sam running from outside, but then Dad asked him, "Did it bite you or Ben?"_

 _"N-n-no…" Alec managed to stutter through his sobs._

 _"Are they ok?" Uncle Sam asked breathlessly once he found them._

 _"Ben's under that one," Dad said without even looking over at Uncle Sam. "Alec said they weren't bitten." He heard Uncle Sam breathe out in relief as he moved the dead werewolf from his brother._

 _"He's unconscious, but he's breathing," Uncle Sam said. "How's Alec?"_

 _"He's bleeding pretty badly," Dad said. "We need to get him to the car and get him stitched up." He cried harder against his Dad's neck; how could this even be real? How could his Dad be alive again? "Alec, you gotta breathe, kiddo. You're gonna pass out if you keep this up…" Dad said to him._

 _"How?" Alec managed to ask._

 _"I'll tell you everything once I get you patched up, ok?" Dad said. "But you need to take slower breaths, ok? I know this is a lot, but you passing out isn't going to help."_

 _"O-ok…" Alec whispered._

 _Dad slowly got him to his feet, but he panicked again when he didn't see Ben and Uncle Sam where he thought they were going to be. "Hey, it's ok," Dad reassured. "Uncle Sam already took Ben to the car." Dad moved so he could press against his left side as they slowly made their way to the car. He leaned against his Dad's side and smiled a little when Dad kissed the top of his head. "You need a shower, kiddo…" He smiled just a little more and just breathed in his Dad's scent. He couldn't believe his Dad was somehow alive again…_

 _"Ok, I'm just going to get you sitting down," Dad said, leading him over to the driver's seat. He saw Ben lying across the backseat, and Uncle Sam was wrapping his ankle. He slowly sat down, but panicked again when Dad let go of him. "Ok, ok, I'm not goin' anywhere," Dad reassured. "Sam, I'm gonna need our big first aid kit and the holy water."_

 _"It was just a werewolf scratch, I don't need the holy water to clean it out," Alec whispered._

 _"_ I'm _going to clean it out, and holy water will help," Dad said, keeping his hand pressed firmly against his side. "And I'm sure you need stitches, and I'll be doing those too." He teared up again just because he finally had his Dad back. His brother and Uncle always tried to take care of him too, but it was nothing like having his Dad around._

 _Uncle Sam came around to the front with their big first aid kit and smiled at him, "Hey Alec."_

 _Tears fell down his cheeks and it was harder to breathe again as he sobbed, "I'm s-s-sorry Un-uncle S-s-sam…"_

 _"Hey, it's ok," Uncle Sam quickly reassured. "I'm just glad we found you again."_

 _"Y-you're not m-mad?" Alec asked._

 _"Oh I'm extremely mad," Uncle Sam said with a smile. "But I won't yell at you until tomorrow, ok?"_

 _He laughed and cried at the same time, just happy to finally have his family again. Uncle Sam rubbed his back and Dad said, "Quit making him laugh, he bleeds more every time he shakes…"_

 _"Sorry," Uncle Sam said. "It's just good to hear him laugh again, even if he's crying more than laughing."_

 _"Shut up," he said, trying not to laugh more._

 _Dad shook his head in amusement, but then said, "Alec, go ahead and open up the first aid kit. Sam, can you sit with Ben? I don't want him to be alone if he wakes up…"_

 _Uncle Sam nodded and moved to the backseat again while he opened the first aid kit and picked up the scissors. Dad smiled when he handed him the scissors, and he smiled too since he knew that's what his Dad was going to ask for first. Dad quickly cut off his shirt before he carefully started to clean out the cuts._

 _He had a million question to ask his Dad, but he was content to just sit and be around his Dad again. If this was some wacked out dream he was having, then he didn't want it to end. He wanted his Dad to be alive again, and even though this seemed too good to be true, he wasn't going to waste this on stupid questions that might not even be necessary._

 _"Alec, you ok?" Dad asked him._

 _"I'm good," Alec said._

 _"You're bein' real quiet…" Dad said._

 _"I…I just don't want this to end…that's all," Alec said, quickly looking down._

 _"I'm back for real, kiddo," Dad reassured. "And this is real, not some fever dream you're having or something."_

 _"Ok," Alec easily agreed, refusing to argue with his Dad just in case. Dad chuckled and shook his head, and was about to say something, but frowned instead. "What's wrong?" Alec asked._

 _"This is gonna hurt," Dad said. "One of its claws broke off…"_

 _"Oh," Alec said. He thought it was going to be something serious, like 'sorry kiddo, but my time's up. See ya again in a few months.' Just having a broken off claw stuck in him was nothing compared to losing his Dad again._

 _"Deep breath, alright?" Dad said. He took a semi-deep breath, but winced when Dad pulled the claw from him. "Ok, just breathe, that was the worst part," Dad said. "Now, I just need to finish cleaning these out, and then it's just stitches."_

 _"Don't forget the gash above his eye," Uncle Sam said from the backseat._

 _"I won't," Dad grumbled._

 _He smiled when he saw Dad roll his eyes. It felt good seeing his Dad and Uncle acting so normal even though everything was still weird and different._

 _"Alec?!" Ben asked in a panic. "Alec?!"_

 _"I'm alright, Ben," he quickly reassured._

 _"What happened?" Ben asked, slurring slightly._

 _"Um…are your eyes still closed?" Alec asked, trying to twist to see his twin, but his Dad wouldn't let him move that much._

 _"Yeah…my head is killing me…" Ben mumbled. "What happened? How'd we get out of there?"_

 _"Well, don't panic…but, um…" he looked to his Dad for help, but Dad just shrugged back, telling him it was up to him how he wanted to handle this. "We had some help getting out of there," Alec said slowly. "Um…Uncle Sam and Dad found us," he said as fast as he could._

 _Ben immediately shot up, but then held his head as pain shot through him. "Is this a joke?" Ben asked, his voice rough._

 _"Alec's not joking," Uncle Sam said, reaching out to put his hand on Ben's shoulder. His brother's eyes widened and he quickly backed away from their Uncle. "Ben, it's ok, everything's ok," Uncle Sam reassured._

 _Ben looked over at him, and if possible, his eyes widened even more when he spotted Dad stitching up his side. "He's gonna pass out again," Alec said, hoping Uncle Sam would catch Ben in time._

 _Thankfully, Uncle Sam did catch Ben when he passed out, and he gently laid him on the seat again. He looked back at his Dad and saw that he was smiling at him again, and he spoke before he could ask what was wrong. "I just really missed you boys," Dad said._

 _"I missed you too, Dad," Alec whispered._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	12. Chapter 12

_So this chapter has flashbacks from season six and a Happy (late) Birthday present to Sylwinka1991! I hope you all like it!_

* * *

Chapter 12

 _2011_

 _He couldn't leave Alec alone even for a second, otherwise his little boy would take off and disappear. It didn't matter that he was so hurt that he could barely take three steps on his own or that he was still seizing, he just wanted to leave and he wouldn't tell him why. So, he stayed with him all the time even though Alec refused to speak to him or even look at him half the time. But he had to make sure Alec was ok._

 _He leaned back against the sofa and slowly started cleaning his gun. Alec was sound asleep behind him, but he still couldn't sleep. He had no idea how to make Alec's seizures stop or how to get his little boy to talk to him again. If he could just figure out what was wrong, then he would fix it. He knew it had something to do with Ben, but Alec wouldn't tell him what it was._

 _Alec suddenly made the smallest sound of pain and shifted behind him. He instantly dropped his gun and turned to his little boy. He brushed his hair back from his forehead, but quickly drew his hand away when Alec's green eyes opened._

 _But Alec's eyes teared up when he pulled away; he just didn't know what was right anymore, what Alec wanted. Alec needed him though, and he couldn't ignore that. He scooped up his little boy and held him close, careful to avoid the needle in his arm. They were keeping him on fluids since he was being stubborn about actually cooperating with them. He wanted Alec to feel better, but he had no idea how to really help him. Crowley had really messed his kid up, and it pissed him off that he hadn't found him sooner._

 _Alec sobbed against his chest though and fisted his hand in his shirt, just holding on as if his life depended on it._

 _"Shh, Alec, it's ok," Dean soothed._

 _"Daddy…" Alec sobbed, hiccupping when he couldn't catch his breath. His little boy was shaking because of his tears and because of his seizures. It was probably both, but he didn't know how to fix any of it._

 _"I'm right here, baby, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," Dean reassured. He let Alec cry against him even though he knew it had to be hurting his broken ribs. But maybe if he just let it out, then maybe he would feel a tiny bit better. He stroked Alec's short hair and rubbed his back, so he knew he wasn't alone anymore. Alec hadn't told him anything about what had happened, and part of him didn't want to know. He didn't want to know how badly he'd failed his little boy._

 _"You want something to eat or drink?" Dean asked once Alec had calmed down some. Alec shook his head no against him and started playing with the collar of his shirt. His hand was still shaking, but he must have needed something else to focus on. "Alec…if you tell me what's wrong…maybe I can fix it," Dean said softly. "But you've gotta talk to me, kiddo…"_

 _"P-promise you w-won't get m-m-mad?" Alec whispered._

 _"I promise," Dean said._

 _"Y-you re-replaced me…" Alec breathed, instantly bursting into tears again. "You re-replaced me w-with him…"_

 _"Alec, I didn't replace you," Dean said. But now it made sense why Alec wouldn't talk to him and why he seemed to hate Ben. Alec thought he replaced him when he disappeared, but that couldn't be further from the truth. "I never stopped looking for you, and I never would have stopped. You're my little boy._ Mine. _And no one could ever replace you."_

 _"Th-then why is h-he here?" Alec asked._

 _"Alec, you're my little boy, but so is Ben," Dean said. "I didn't replace you, but Ben's staying with us."_

 _"I d-don't want h-him here…" Alec muttered._

 _"Why? What's wrong with Ben?" Dean asked. Alec just shook his head no and hid against his chest again. "Ok, but you'll start talking to me again, right?" He could work on Alec and Ben getting used to each other, but he couldn't deal with Alec not talking to him. It had been so quiet without Alec around, and now he still couldn't get Alec to talk to him like he used to. Even when Alec had first found them, he'd talked more than this and that was before he even knew them._

 _Alec nodded, and then asked, "W-what's wrong w-with Uncle S-sam?"_

 _"What do you mean?" Dean asked even though he knew exactly what Alec meant. He was just afraid that Sam had done something to Alec while he wasn't around, but he hadn't seen Sam since they'd gotten to Bobby's._

 _"He h-hasn't b-been around, which is w-weird," Alec said, playing with his collar again. "I thought h-he would b-be here…" Alec was quiet for a second before he said, "I thought h-he would b-be h-here because h-he was dead and n-now he's b-back and I r-really m-m-missed him and I-I thought m-maybe he m-might have m-missed me t-too but h-he's not here s-so maybe h-he didn't m-miss me…"_

 _"Alec…Uncle Sam isn't here because something happened when he came back," Dean explained. "He was brought back, but his soul didn't come back with him. I'm looking for a way to get his soul back, but so far I've got nothing."_

 _"S-so he's n-not here because h-he doesn't h-have a soul…" Alec muttered._

 _"And you should stay away from him if I'm not around because I have no idea what he's gonna do," Dean said. "He, um, he let me get turned into a vampire so we could get into a nest, and he's just scary sometimes, so don't go hangin' around him until I get his soul back, ok?"_

 _Alec had fisted his hand in his shirt when he'd told him about being turned into a vampire, but then he snuggled against his chest and whispered, "Ok Dad."_

* * *

Present

"Hey," Dean muttered to Sam once they met up again. He hated that he'd run into another dead end, but maybe Sam had found something that would help.

"Hey, find anything?" Sam asked.

"Nothing…Crowley was even less help than usual," Dean grumbled. "And I should've left Alec here…" He hated that they hadn't found anything, but not only that, but the trip wore his son out and he was threatened by the demon who had kidnapped and tortured him. He should've left Alec here or at least sent him with Sam.

"What happened? Did he have another seizure? Is he ok?" Sam asked.

"He's ok," Dean said. "He's worn out from the ride…and Crowley threatened him. And I know I'm overreacting, but…scared the shit outta me…"

"He should've come with me…" Sam said. "He would've been bored out of his mind, but we could've avoided Crowley if he'd come with me."

He took a deep breath and let it back out before he slowly shook his head, "He would've thrown a fit if we had tried to make him go do research…I just wanna do something nice for him tonight…for both boys, and for Jack too. I just want to do something normal for one night…"

"I don't know about tonight, but maybe tomorrow…" Sam said with a small smile. He raised his eyebrows in a silent question, so Sam said, "I can think of two things Alec would love to do, but it's more of an all-day thing instead of just a tonight thing…"

"What two things can you think of?" Dean asked. He just thought about taking Alec to the movies and letting him pig-out on junk food all night, but Sam sounded like he'd thought of something that Alec would like way more than that.

"Water park or arcade with bumper cars, go karts, and laser tag," Sam said.

"Shit, that sounds perfect," Dean said with a smile.

* * *

"What's the big secret?" Alec asked. "And why do I have to stay blindfolded? You know how much I hate being blindfolded…"

"Alec, just leave the blindfold, ok? It'll be worth it," Dean said in amusement. "We'll be there soon and I don't want you to ruin the secret."

"Why doesn't Ben have to be blindfolded?" Alec asked.

"Because the secret is for you," Ben said with a smile.

"So…you know what the secret is already," Alec guessed.

"Yeah, I know the secret," Ben said.

"And you won't tell me…" Alec grumbled. "I can't believe my own twin won't tell me what's going on…"

He rolled his eyes, but he was secretly glad Alec felt good enough to complain about not being told exactly what's going on. He and Sam had stayed up half the night trying to figure out which choice Alec would want to do, but in the end they had an obvious choice. He didn't really want to do this, but it was for Alec, and he would do anything for his boys.

"How much longer?" Alec whined. "If it's going to be a long time…I'm gonna take a nap…"

"Alec, it's not much further," Dean said. "In fact, I'm pulling into the parking lot right now…"

"So, I can take the blindfold off now?" Alec asked impatiently.

"Not yet," Dean said. He parked, and Jody parked next to him, before he got out and opened Alec's door for him and helped him up.

"We're at the pool?" Alec asked excitedly, instantly smelling the chlorine.

"Close…" Dean said, untying the blindfold.

Alec's eyes widened when he saw the waterslides and fountains and innertubes, "Holy shit…"

"Alec…" Sam chastised.

"We're at a waterpark!" Alec exclaimed, ignoring Sam. "We've never been to a waterpark before! This is going to be so awesome!"

He chuckled and messed up Alec's hair, "There are still some rules even though this is going to be awesome."

"That's fine. I'll do whatever," Alec said as fast as he could.

"You've gotta wear a t-shirt the whole time," Dean said. "You've still got some scars, especially from your bullet wound, so you need to just wear it, ok? Ben will wear his t-shirt too and so will me and Sam."

"Ok," Alec said with a nod.

"And when you start wearin' down, you promise you'll stop," Dean said.

"I promise, I'll stop when I get tired," Alec said.

"Alright, Ben brought your swim trunks and you can change once we get inside," Dean said.

Alec nodded, but grabbed Ben's arm and took off for the entrance. He looked back though and yelled, "C'mon Jack, get your ass in gear!"

Jack smiled and took off after his boys while Sam yelled, "Hey! No running! We still need to pay to get you in!"

He could just imagine Alec's eye roll as his boy reluctantly slowed down. "You were right," Dean said, bumping into his brother.

"It's like he's nine-years-old again," Sam said with a laugh.

"This was a good idea, boys," Jody said, patting their shoulders.

"I just wish we could give this to them more," Dean said.

"You're doing what you can," Jody said.

"We're hoping this helps Alec forget about the fact that he can't hunt," Sam said.

"It should work," Mary said with a smile. "The three of them seem pretty happy right now."

"As long as he doesn't wear himself out right into another seizure," Dean muttered.

"Hey, no seizure talk," Sam said. "We agreed we wouldn't bring them up today."

"I know…I just hope this doesn't backfire," Dean said.

"Hurry up!" Alec yelled.

* * *

He laughed as Alec and Ben wiped out at the bottom of the slide. For all of their cat DNA they weren't very graceful right now and they definitely did like the water. Maybe they had some fish DNA in the mix as well. Jack suddenly slid down the slide, landing gracelessly on Alec and Ben, causing the three of them to laugh.

"Dad! Uncle Sam!" Alec yelled. "We wanna do the big slide next!"

He looked over at Mary and Jody, and Mary immediately said, "Go, your boys want to go down the big slide."

"We'll watch you wipe out from here," Jody said, holding up her drink as a silent goodbye.

He and Sam took off after the boys, carrying the tube, and then going down to wipe out at the bottom. They slid down every slide about five times each, laughing and actually having a good day for the whole family. Sam made the boys put on more sunscreen about halfway through the day, and even Alec did what he was told without too much complaining.

"Hey Dad," Alec said, coming up to him without Ben and Jack behind him.

"Yeah kiddo?" Dean asked back.

"I'm starting to wear down…" Alec admitted. "Can we go down the lazy river?"

"Yeah, c'mon," Dean said. He glanced back at Sam to make sure he'd watch the other two, and Sam quickly nodded his agreement. He grabbed two innertubes and brought them to the lazy river, helping Alec get in the water before he handed him one of the tubes. "We can go if you want," Dean said, getting in the water next to his son. "Pretty sure Ben and Jack are tired too…"

"I just wanna float for a little bit," Alec said.

He kept ahold of Alec's tube as they just floated down the river. Alec's eyes were closed and his breathing was slow, so he knew he'd fallen asleep or was at least taking a nap. He wanted to leave and take Alec back home, but he couldn't force Alec to leave. He already couldn't hunt, so he wasn't going to force him to leave the park if he didn't want to. At least Alec took a break when he knew he was worn out.

"Dad?"

"Yeah Alec?"

"Thanks for today…" Alec whispered.

He ran his hand through Alec's hair making it spike all over the place, and he kissed the side of Alec's head even though his son claimed he was too old for that kind of thing now. "I just wish we could do this more often…"

"Is this to make up for not being able to hunt?" Alec asked.

"Yeah…"

Alec chuckled, "Ok, I'll try not to be a pain in the ass about it…but no promises."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Dean said sincerely.

* * *

 _2011_

 _He carefully laid Alec back down on the sofa, hating the pained look in his eyes, but he didn't know what else to do for him except to just wait and see. He'd just taken his little boy to the bathroom to get him cleaned up, but the trip wore him out. The movement was still too much for his abused body, but they didn't have the equipment to make it so he could stay on the sofa all the time._

 _"I want you to try to eat some soup before you go to sleep again, ok?" Dean said, brushing Alec's hair back from his forehead._

 _"It hurts…" Alec whispered, tears streaking back into his hair from the corner of his eyes._

 _"I know it does," Dean said miserably. "We just can't get your body to catch up…"_

 _"Can I help?" Ben asked softly behind him._

 _He quickly turned and smiled at Ben; he felt bad that he hadn't been giving Ben much attention since they'd found Alec, but he didn't know how to split his attention between both boys. He did ok when it was just one of his boys, but he didn't know how to handle both at the same time. At least Alec was talking to him again. "Yeah buddy, can you see if Bobby has any soup?" Dean asked. "He likes Chicken Noodle soup ok, but if he's got broccoli cheese, that's his favorite."_

 _"Ok," Ben said, running out of the room again._

 _"I'm going to have you try to hold the bowl, ok?" Dean said, looking back at Alec. "I know it's gonna suck, but I won't let you spill it on yourself, and I'll hold the spoon, so it won't spill when you eat it."_

 _Alec nodded, but then reached out for him. Alec usually acted like nothing bothered him, but he always wanted comfort when he could get it. He quickly scooped Alec up, careful to avoid the needle that was still in the back of Alec's hand, and held him against his chest. His little boy shook hard against him, and it had to be torture on his already sore muscles._

 _"What's going on?" Sam asked, but he still sounded like he didn't really care. "Did he get worse?"_

 _"Go see if Bobby has a heating pad or something," Dean said._

 _Sam shrugged, but nodded and left the room again._

 _"Bobby said he'd make Alec some soup," Ben said, running back in._

 _"That's great," Dean said with a smile. He motioned for Ben to come over and said, "How 'bout you sit with us while we wait, huh?"_

 _"Ok…" Ben said, looking uncertainly at Alec, but his little boy was hiding against his chest instead of looking at Ben. Alec still didn't like Ben, but hopefully they would get used to each other soon. He was keeping both of his boys, whether they got along or not. He would just have to work at them getting used to each other, which meant they needed to be around each other._

 _Ben slowly walked over, but waited until he scooted over before he got on the sofa next to him. "You wanna watch TV?" Dean asked when neither boy decided to say anything. He still didn't get a response, but he decided to turn on the TV anyway. At least with the TV on, there'd be some noise and it wouldn't be so awkward._

 _He maneuvered Alec, so he could hold him with one arm, and then wrapped his other arm around Ben's shoulders. Alec didn't look happy about Ben still being there, but he did snuggle closer to him. They sat in silence for a while, but then Bobby yelled from the kitchen, "Dean, I need some help in here if you want Alec to have something to eat in the next couple hours!"_

 _He grumbled under his breath, but slowly started to untangle from his boys. Alec latched onto him though and refused to let go. "Alec, I gotta go help Bobby," Dean said._

 _"C-can I g-go w-with you?" Alec asked softly._

 _"It's gonna be too hard on your ribs, kiddo," Dean said._

 _"I w-wanna g-go t-too," Alec whispered._

 _He sighed, but slowly stood up with Alec balanced against his hip. He knew carrying Alec like this was painful for his little boy, but he also knew Alec hated being left alone for any amount of time. And since he couldn't leave Alec with Ben, he was just going to have to take him with him. "C'mon Ben, you can help too," Dean said, grabbing Alec's IV bag and heading for the kitchen. Ben trailed behind him while Alec rested his head against his shoulder._

 _"I didn't mean for you to bring Alec with ya…" Bobby mumbled when they walked in. "He needs rest."_

 _"He wanted to come with me," Dean said. "What did you need help with?"_

 _"I need someone to stir while I chop up some of the ingredients," Bobby said._

 _"C'mere Ben," Dean said, dragging a kitchen chair to the stove. "You can stir, and then when you get tired, I'll switch you." Ben gave him a huge smile and quickly climbed onto the chair to start stirring. He sank down into one of the other chairs and positioned Alec so he could be more comfortable._

 _It still took a while to get the soup made, even with Ben's help, and then Alec only ate a little bit once it was ready. He had both boys next to him on the sofa again once they were done, and they both quickly fell asleep. Sam still hadn't come back with a heating pad, but he wasn't surprised since his brother wasn't really his brother right now._

 _"How ya doin', kid?" Bobby asked, walking in and sitting down in the recliner._

 _"I can't do this, Bobby," Dean admitted. "I was ok when I just had one boy, but I don't know how to take care of two…They don't even like each other…"_

 _"They will," Bobby said. "And you're doin' fine. You already know how to handle Alec and you're startin' to figure out Ben, so now you just gotta learn how to split your attention between both of them."_

 _"That's the hardest part," Dean said. "I want to make sure Alec's ok, but I keep forgetting that Ben needs attention too."_

 _"You'll get there," Bobby said. "You're a good Dad, Dean, and your boys know that."_

 _He looked down at his boys, his twin boys who looked just like him, and smiled even though they had a long way to go. But they were both alive, and he could figure out the rest. He would figure out how to get Alec's seizures to stop, he'd get the boys used to each other, and he'd get his brother's soul back. He just had to keep going._

* * *

 _"Alec, I need you to stay on this sofa until I get back, ok?" Dad said. "And do what Bobby says and be nice to your…to Ben, ok?"_

 _"I d-don't want you t-to leave," Alec said, tears filling his eyes._

 _"I know, but I've gotta try to get Uncle Sammy's soul back," Dad said, brushing away the tear that had slipped free._

 _"How?" Alec asked._

 _Dad rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from him, "Well, I, um, I've gotta find a way to talk to Death…"_

 _That didn't sound good… "P-please don't g-go," Alec whispered._

 _Dad ran his hand through his hair, and then kissed his forehead, "I have to, kiddo…" He tried to turn away from his Dad, but his Dad wouldn't let him. "Alec, I really need you to try to eat something and you have to take some more pills."_

 _"W-what if you d-don't come b-back?" Alec asked._

 _"I'm coming back," Dad said. "And no one is gonna get you while you're here."_

 _"Dad…"_

 _"Alec, I'm coming back," Dad said again. "But if something happens, then I told Bobby that he's going to take care of you and Ben." He still didn't want Dad to leave, but he was getting too tired to argue. "Look, Alec, I don't want to leave, even for just a couple minutes, but we need Uncle Sam back, right?"_

 _"Yeah…" Alec whispered._

 _"I'll be gone for just a little while," Dad said. Dad kissed his forehead and said, "Be good," before he ruffled his hair and left._

 _He hated the empty, lost feeling that his Dad left behind when he walked out the door. He wanted to immediately run after him and beg him to stay, but even if he could get up and run after him, he knew it wouldn't do any good. Dad had made up his mind, which meant there was no changing it unless he had a really, really good reason, and he didn't. He just wanted his Dad to stay because he didn't want to be alone._

 _"Da-Dean said he'd be back pretty soon," Ben suddenly said, slowly walking into the living room. He hated when he did that; it was super creepy how he lurked around and listened to everyone's conversations._

 _He glared at Ben and said, "H-he's my D-dad, n-not yours." He'd definitely noticed Ben almost calling Dean dad more than once and it pissed him off. It took him a long time to finally be able to call Dean dad and he'd earned it. He'd found Dad; he'd walked all the way from Manticore to find his Dad even though he thought it was pointless more than once. Dad just happened to find Ben and all of a sudden Ben was just part of the family? That didn't make any sense to him. Ben hadn't done anything to prove that he belonged here._

 _"Um…do you need the heating pad again?" Ben asked, ignoring what he'd said. "I can go find it…"_

 _"I d-don't n-need it," Alec snarled. He would sound a lot more menacing if he could stop shaking for two seconds. He hated this. He was in a lot of pain and it wasn't stopping. The only thing that made it better was having his Dad around, but now he was gone too._

 _"Why don't you like me?" Ben asked after a moment. He just glared instead of answering. Maybe if he just refused to answer, then Ben would take the hint and leave him alone. "Because I can't figure it out. I think some of it is because Dean's your Dad and it feels like I replaced you when you disappeared, but I don't think that's all of it. If that was all of it, then I think you'd at least talk to me a little bit…"_

 _"What d-do you w-want?" Alec growled._

 _"I want to know the whole reason," Ben said. "I don't even know you, so why do you hate me so much?"_

 _"I w-went t-to psy-ops b-because of y-you," Alec snapped. "Y-you left and I-I got in t-trouble f-for it. B-big t-trouble. And n-now you're t-trying t-to t-take my f-family t-too. I w-worked t-too h-hard to f-find them t-to have you t-take them f-from m-me."_

 _"They took you to psy-ops because of the escape? Why?" Ben asked with a frown._

 _"W-we're t-twins. Th-they thought I w-was g-gonna t-try to escape t-too," Alec said. It was a little funny since he didn't even think about escaping until he got punished for his twin escaping._

 _"I didn't know they would do that," Ben said. "I didn't even know I had a twin."_

 _"I'm t-tired," Alec said. "L-leave me a-alone."_

 _"Can I at least get the heating pad?" Ben asked._

 _He scooted down on the cushions and turned away from Ben as much as his sore body would allow. "J-just leave m-me alone," Alec breathed. He heard Ben leave a few seconds later._

* * *

Present

"So…road trip, right?" Alec asked, looking over the pages his brother had brought back. "Road trip to Seattle?" He would hug his brother once everyone left the room for finding something for his seizures. He knew it might lead to nothing, but it was a start, which meant he was that much closer to hunting again. He'd loved going to the water park with his family, but they couldn't do that every day, and his family would start hunting again soon and he didn't want to miss out.

"Alec, slow down," Uncle Sam said. "We need to look into this more before we just go track this guy down."

"If he's looking for transgenics, then maybe he knows someone from Manticore," Alec stressed. "Then we can get this whole seizure thing taken care of and I can get back to hunting."

"Or maybe it's a trap," Dad said. "Manticore could've planted this information for any transgenic who is looking for other transgenics…kinda like you and Ben looking for the rest of Ben's unit."

"Or he could be a real lead," Alec said. "I could have another seizure any day now without any warning, but this guy might know someone we can go see who will have a _real_ solution. I _want_ to see this guy and know for sure if it's a real lead or not. I don't want to have seizures anymore and this is the first real lead we've ever had on anyone from Manticore."

"Alec-"

"I don't care if it's a trap!" Alec yelled.

Ben immediately jumped up and put his hand on his brother's arm to try to calm him down. Alec was good at pretending the seizures didn't bother him, but he knew better. Alec was afraid of the seizures and he needed them to be over even if it was a trap. "Alec, Dad's just saying we need to look into this a little more before we take off, that's all," Ben whispered. His brother looked over at him with shining eyes before he blinked a few times and barely nodded back.

"I'm gonna go get some air…" Alec muttered, brushing by him to leave the room.

"He's afraid of the seizures," Ben said once he heard Alec leave the house completely. "He wants them to be over even more than we do."

"I know, but we can't just rush into this," Dad said. "I'm terrified of the seizures, but I'm even more afraid of losing you two."

"Dad, the seizures could kill him," Ben said. He couldn't lose his brother, he wouldn't. He and Alec could sneak out and follow this lead on their own if their Dad and Uncle didn't want to go. He wasn't going to let Alec suffer through more seizures when they might be able to fix them.

"I know they could, and we will check out the lead, but I want to make sure the lead won't get us all killed," Dad said.

"Ben, it makes sense," Uncle Sam said. "We would make sure it was safe for any lead we found."

"Dean!" Jack yelled, running into the room. The three of them all looked over in alarm, and then Jack said, "The angels…the angels are outside…Alec's in trouble."

"What?!" Dad asked.

"The angels are out there…Mary sent me to get you," Jack said.

"Go," Dad said, already running for the door.

The angels had appeared out of nowhere, surrounding him; he was just lucky Mary, Jody, and Jack had been in Jody's living room and saw the angels appear around him.

He punched one of the stupid, feathery bastards in the face, and they just barely stumbled back. He managed to twist the angel's wrist and make him drop his blade. He moved to get it, but was thrown off his feet and into the side of the Impala.

He was slow getting back up, but then had to jump out of the way as another angel swung its blade at him. He moved a little too slow and was slashed across his chest. He fell to the ground again and held his hand against his bleeding chest. He scooted back as the guy came at him again, but breathed out in relief when his eyes suddenly burned bright and he fell to the ground next to him, dead.

"Dad…" he breathed out in relief.

"C'mon kiddo," Dad said, reaching down to help him up.

"There're too many of 'em…" Alec mumbled.

"Me, Sam, Mary, and Jody will take care of them, ok? Ben will get you and Jack somewhere safe," Dad said.

"Dad, I'm alright," Alec whispered. "I'll stay out of it unless I have to do something. You need Ben to stay and fight…"

"No, Alec-"

"Dad, Uncle Sam needs help," Alec said, pushing his Dad away from him.

"Shit…alright, stay here," Dad said, gently lowering him to the ground and taking off again.

There were still too many of them for his family to take out. He couldn't just sit here and watch it happen either. He kept his hand against his chest as he reached over for the dead angel's blade. He pushed himself back up and tried to find a lone angel by themselves so maybe he could help just a little bit. He took a slow step forward, but was again slammed against the side of the Impala. His breath left him and the back of his head slammed against the metal, making him see stars.

His head was slammed back again, and he was losing his grip on consciousness. He cried out in pain as a blade was stabbed through his right shoulder and into the side of the Impala, keeping him in place. The angel that was attacking him was suddenly shoved off of him, and then his brother stabbed the angel in its chest.

"Alec, can you hear me?" Ben asked, gently tapping his cheek. He blinked sluggishly and tried to nod, but everything was spinning. "Dad's gonna be pissed," Ben said. "There's a couple 'Alec-sized' dents in the side of his car…not to mention the hole…"

"Yeah…me and Baby aren't getting along real great right now…" Alec slurred.

Ben grabbed the angel blade he'd dropped and stood in front of him. "Just stay there. I'll keep them back." He maybe nodded back, but he wasn't really sure. He was losing focus and he didn't think he was going to be able to stay conscious for much longer. He couldn't believe he was out of another fight, but he couldn't help his family now. He just had to trust that Ben would be able to hold them off if they came at them again because he passed out a second later.

Ben knew the second his brother passed out, but he couldn't check on him until this was over. Dad shot a look over at them to see how Alec was doing, but he shook his head no. Dad motioned for him to stay there, and he nodded back even though he wanted to roll his eyes. Of course he was going to stay by his brother and make sure he was going to be ok.

But his family wasn't doing great in this fight. Even Jack was fighting, and surprisingly he was holding his own, but it was still pretty bad. Dad and Uncle Sam were teamed up against four angels while Mary and Jody stayed near Jack to try to keep him covered, but they weren't gaining any ground.

He had to step up and fight when two of them decided he and his brother were big enough threats to focus on again. He did ok for a few minutes, but he was more focused on his brother, making sure he was still safe instead of focusing on the angels. One of the angels cut his right leg, making him drop down, and the other one cut through his left side.

A blade was pressed against his neck, and the angel pushed him against the side of the Impala, next to his unconscious brother. He just barely saw his Dad trying to get over to them, but more angels took him down before he could even get close. Uncle Sam ran to help Dad, but he couldn't get too far either. Mary and Jody were both on the ground and Jack was surrounded.

He was sure they were all done for when there was suddenly a blinding light. The angel holding him released him to look at what was going on. He instinctively moved to shield his brother as the light seemed to explode. He covered Alec as much as he could and held onto his brother to try to stay with him. He felt like something was trying to pull him away from Alec, but he refused to let go.

It was maybe a minute later when the feeling went away and the blinding light was gone. He looked at Alec, but his brother was still unconscious, pinned to the side of the Impala. He turned slightly to see what had caused the explosion and the bright light, but he didn't see anything.

He slowly stood up and tried to ignore the rising panic. He didn't see anything, which included his family. The angels were all gone, but so was his Dad and Uncle, and Mary, Jody, and Jack. Everyone was gone except for him and Alec.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	13. Chapter 13

_Sorry for the long wait, but this is a long chapter, so hopefully that makes up for it. Hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 13

 _2011_

 _"Ok, let's just get this on you," Dean said as he carefully got the sling on his little boy. Alec actually smiled at him, probably just happy they were going to get out of the house for a while. Alec was still shaking, his right arm shaking worse than the rest of him, but he was smiling and acting more like himself than he had for a long time. He hoped the sling would help him get some control back, but Alec claimed he was getting really good at using his left hand._

 _But Alec was doing better, his boys weren't fighting as much as they had been, and Sam's soul was back. He had a family again._

 _"Alright, how's that feel?" Dean asked._

 _"Good," Alec said, still smiling._

 _He chuckled and messed up Alec's hair, making him smile even more. "C'mon, we'll wait for Uncle Sam and Ben outside," Dean said, picking Alec up. Alec snuggled against his neck and hugged him closer with his left arm._

 _"Dad…Dad, don't forget my blanket," Alec said when he started walking towards the door._

 _"I'm sorry, kiddo," Dean said with a smile. He walked back to the sofa and grabbed Alec's pillow and blanket that went with them everywhere. Alec didn't have much in this world, but the few things he'd been able to get for him were really important to him. His little boy kept track of where everything was at all times. And it turned out he was really bad at sharing. He was glad he'd put his foot down when Sam had said Ben could just use Alec's clothes instead of getting him all new things. He wanted Ben to have his own things, but he also couldn't handle having someone wearing his little boy's clothes while he was missing._

 _He held Alec closer and kissed the side of his head as he walked outside. He put Alec's pillow and blanket in the backseat, but then went over to the hood and sat down with his little boy on his lap._

 _"Ok, so, here's the deal," Dean said, brushing Alec's hair back from his forehead. Alec scrunched his nose in distaste, making him chuckle and mess up his hair instead. "Me and Sammy are gonna go on a hunt, and I'm gonna have you sit this one out, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Alec easily agreed._

 _"That was a lot easier than usual…" Dean muttered._

 _"Can we get some ice cream?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah! Of course we can get ice cream," Dean said. It was a little strange that Alec wasn't arguing with him…he wasn't even asking what they were going to hunt. "We can get whatever you want, kiddo."_

 _He looked up when Sam and Ben came outside. Sam picked Ben up and ran around the yard, making his little boy giggle. It felt so good to see Sam acting like himself again. He smiled as he watched his brother put Ben down, and then chase him around. Sam picked him up again and slowly walked over to him and Alec._

 _"I can't believe you have another kid," Sam said. "Now we've got two times the trouble."_

 _"Yeah, I know," Dean said, smiling again. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled so much._

 _"Boys get together over there," Bobby said, suddenly walking towards them with an old camera in his hands._

 _"Seriously Bobby?" Dean grumbled._

 _"Quit your complaining," Bobby said. "I know those pictures I took last year are still in your wallet. You need another one with your whole family together."_

 _He rolled his eyes, but he smiled when Bobby said to, and Sam, Ben, and Alec all smiled too. Bobby brought the polaroid over to him once it was done, and he held it so he could see it, and so Alec could see it too. It was probably the best picture he had yet._

 _He blinked a few times and kissed the side of Alec's head again before he stood up with Alec still in his arms. "C'mon, we're wastin' daylight here," he said. He looked over at Bobby and nodded his thanks, and Bobby nodded back in understanding._

 _He and Sam got the boys in the backseat, and then they were back on the road._

* * *

Present

"Alec, I'd really feel a lot better if you'd wake up," Ben said as he tried again to pull the angel blade from his brother's shoulder. "I'm kinda freaking out because Dad disappeared…It's just me and you again. And I know you've had experience with people disappearing before since me and Dad disappeared on you when we went to Purgatory, so maybe you could come up with where they all went this time…"

Alec's breathing finally picked up and his brother's eyes slowly opened. "Ben?"

"Hey, took you long enough," Ben grumbled.

"What happened?" Alec asked, slowly looking around. "Where's Dad?"

"I don't know," Ben said. "There was an explosion, and everyone disappeared except for us. Now, hold still because I can't get this blade out of the Impala…"

"What?" Alec asked in confusion.

"Do you remember the fight?" Ben asked instead of answering his brother.

"Just go back to where Dad is," Alec said, his voice worn and exhausted.

"Try to stay awake, ok?" Ben said. "You've lost some blood and that angel hit your head a couple times…"

"Where's Dad?" Alec asked, a tiny bit stronger this time.

"I don't know, Alec. Everyone disappeared, so I don't know where they went," Ben said. "Hold still. You're making it worse every time you move…" Alec was starting to actually come back around, which meant he was trying to get up, and he couldn't since he was pinned to the side of the Impala. He pulled hard on the angel blade, making Alec cry out in pain, but the blade didn't budge. "That's in there deep…" Ben muttered.

"You're bleeding…" Alec mumbled, looking at his leg.

"Not as badly as you are," Ben shot back. "I've gotta call someone to help me…"

"Who?" Alec asked. "Everyone's gone."

"I don't know…but I can't get it by myself and I can't just leave you here," Ben said. "I'd call for an ambulance, but I can't come up with a good reason why you're stabbed…"

"We gotta come up with something…" Alec said. "I hear a car comin'…"

"Any ideas?" Ben asked.

"Not a good one…" Alec grumbled.

"Do you wanna try your idea or do you wanna try to explain this to some stranger?" Ben asked, willing to do whatever his brother wanted. Alec could spin a story easily and whoever stopped would believe him and would instantly want to help, so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to call for help.

"How 'bout we try my idea, and when it doesn't work, we can call for help," Alec said. He nodded, so Alec said, "You use me as leverage…it'll hurt like Hell, but maybe it'll be enough to get the blade out of the car, and then you can get it out of me."

He immediately shook his head no, "I don't like it. That'll hurt you more than just coming up with some story for how you got stabbed and waiting for help to get here."

"What about where Jody's at?" Alec asked. "We're at her house, I got stabbed on her property, and now she's nowhere to be found. That's weird and there will be way more questions and we might even go to jail or something and we just lost our get out of jail free card."

"Fine, but if you feel like you're gonna pass out, just pass out, ok?" Ben said, sliding his hand behind his brother's back. He hated feeling Alec's warm blood against his hand, but once he got Alec unpinned, he could take care of him. "Deep breath, alright?" Ben said. He waited until Alec took a breath before he pushed hard against his brother's back.

Alec let out a tortured cry, but he didn't pass out. Of course he didn't pass out. Alec never did anything the easy way. But he'd moved the blade out from the Impala, not all the way, but at least a little bit. He pushed against Alec's back again even though it was hurting his brother.

"Alec, just pass out," Ben begged. "It'll be so much easier if you just pass out…"

"'M sorry…" Alec slurred.

"It's almost out of the car, ok? I've almost got it, and then it'll be really easy, ok? I know it hurts, but it won't be much longer…" Ben said to try to help his brother the only way he knew how. Alec wanted someone to talk to him, and that's what he would do. "Hey, after you heal up, we've gotta find a way to get our family back, right?"

"Yeah…"

"At least we know how to survive on our own," Ben said. "It sucks, but we can figure this out. We'll heal up, and then find our own way into the alternate universe. I'm guessin' that's where they went, but if not, then we'll find Cas and we'll make him help us. I don't know how we're gonna do it, but we're good at finding trouble, right?"

"Mmmhmm…" Alec hummed.

His brother finally passed out on the last push. Alec was free of the car, but this part was going to be easy. He pulled the blade out as fast as he could while Alec was still out, and then picked him up and carried him inside Jody's house.

"Sorry Ben…" Alec slurred, slowly coming back around.

"Hey, it's ok," Ben whispered, knowing Alec needed soothing words right now. Dad was way better at taking care of them, but he'd taken care of Alec before too, so he knew what his brother needed. "I'm not going anywhere, ok? I'm not leaving you. I'm going to patch you up just like we used to, and then we'll rest up here for a little bit before we figure out what to do next."

"'S not safe here…" Alec mumbled. "Angels could find us again…"

"Alec, we need rest. You're going to have seizures again if we don't rest," Ben said. Alec groaned when he laid him on the sofa, but then reached for him when he started to turn away. "I'm not leaving, I'm just going to get some supplies. Jody's going to be pissed that we got blood on her couch…"

"Why is there going to be blood on Jody's couch?" Claire asked behind him. He jumped and whirled around to see her leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest. She immediately moved forward when she saw the blood and asked, "What the Hell happened? Are you guys ok?"

"Angels attacked," Ben said. "Go get a first aid kit. There's one in the trunk if Jody doesn't have one."

Claire took off without having to be told again and came back a few seconds later. "Do you want me to call Alex? She'd leave work if she knew something happened…"

"No, I can take care of him…" Ben said, grabbing the scissors from the first aid kit and cutting through Alec's t-shirt.

"Hey…" Alec said with a frown.

"Shut up," Ben muttered. "Claire, do you still keep some of his pills somewhere?"

"I'll go get them," Claire said, leaving the room again.

"Hey, now's the part where you need to stay awake," Ben said, tapping Alec's cheek. "You gotta tell me what hurts and all that."

"'M tired…" Alec slurred.

"Dammit," Ben breathed. He grabbed a little flashlight from the first aid kit and checked Alec's pupils, only to find what he already knew. Alec had a concussion, and it was a pretty bad one as far as he could tell. "Alec, stay awake, ok? I know I told you to pass out earlier, but now I'm telling you to stay awake."

"My head hurts," Alec whined. He turned out the lights and ran to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth before he ran back to his brother. Alec flinched when he put the wet washcloth over his eyes, but then settled again when he figured out it was just him. "This isn't gonna make me stay awake," Alec whispered.

"We need to come up with what to do after we rest up," Ben said, knowing this was the best way to keep Alec awake. "Should we look for a way into the alternate universe first or go to Seattle and find that guy first?" Ben asked.

"Alternate universe," Alec said. "We need Dad back before we look for a cure for the seizures. Besides…he thought it was a trap…"

"Trap or not, I think we should still check it out," Ben said. "You lost a lot of blood, which means you'll probably have a seizure unless we do a transfusion."

"No transfusion…you lost a lot of blood too…" Alec said. "And I just wanna find Dad…"

"Ok, but if you have a seizure and I can't get them to stop, then we're going to Seattle," Ben stated, pressing against Alec's shoulder and back to try to stop the bleeding from the angel blade.

"Can he sit up?" Claire asked, coming back with a bottle of pills and a half-gallon of milk. Alec slowly pulled the washcloth from his eyes to see where Claire was. He didn't like not knowing where everyone was at all times, even if he was squinting against the light and the washcloth would have made it better.

"Not for very long," Ben said for his brother. Alec gave him a pitiful glare for answering for him, but didn't actually argue with him. He got his brother sitting up, but he had to slide behind him to catch his weight. "Dammit…You just have to pass out at the worst times…" Ben grumbled before he turned back to Claire and asked, "Can you get me some water? He's gotta wake up and take his pills, so even though he hates it, he's getting splashed with water…"

"Yeah," Claire said, leaving Alec's pills and the milk so she could go get some water.

"Alec, time to come back," Ben said, tapping Alec's cheek. "You need to wake up and take your pills, remember? Otherwise you might as well start thinking of Seattle as our next stop. You won't like it but you'll have to go since I'm the oldest and you'll be too tired to argue with me a lot."

Alec still wouldn't wake up, so he slowly put him back down on the sofa and got some more supplies from the first aid kit. He really needed to get Alec started on fluids, but they weren't in the bunker, so he didn't have enough supplies to do it. He cleaned out the wound through his brother's shoulder, and then packed it and wrapped it to try to prevent infection. He was still going to have to get Alec to take some antibiotics, but he would worry about that argument later.

"What do you need me to do?" Claire asked, setting a glass of water on the table beside him. "I can try to find an ice pack for his head, or I could stitch you up while you take care of him. You're still losing blood and I know Jody's not going to like that her carpet and her sofa are stained with Winchester blood…"

"I'm fine…" Ben muttered, moving on to clean the cut across Alec's chest.

"Ben, just take off your pants," Claire said dryly.

He squeaked in surprise and looked back at her in panic before he remembered that he needed to keep his poker face and tried to play it cool. "I'm fine…it's barely a scratch…"

"Except it's bad enough that you need stitches," Claire said. "Just let me take care of it before Alec wakes up and freaks out because you're hurt and decides he's the best one to take care of you."

"Better just give up, Claire…" Alec slurred. "I'm doin' those stitches…I'll fight you for 'em…"

He rolled his eyes, but smiled since Alec was just as overprotective as he was. "Hey, take your pills while you're awake," Ben said instead of telling his brother that there was no way he was letting him stitch up his leg and side. Alec was probably either seeing double or the room was spinning so badly that he was about to throw up, which meant he wouldn't be able to physically stitch him up even though he really wanted to. He always hated it when he was too hurt to help his brother because then Alec had to take care of himself.

"Take your pills, and then we'll see about you stitching me up," Ben said to placate his brother.

"Ben…"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Dad?" Alec asked softly.

"Do you remember what happened?" Ben asked in concern.

Alec slowly shook his head no and asked, "What happened?"

He checked his brother's head again, hoping to find a different result, but he still had a fairly large bump on the back of his head. "Alec, it's just us…" Ben said. "Everyone disappeared."

"The angels?" Alec asked.

He was thankful Alec could remember that the angels had been there, but he was still forgetting things that he should already know. "The angels disappeared too," Ben said.

"Alternate universe, right?" Alec asked with a frown.

"Right," Ben said. "Do you remember what else we talked about?"

"Um…I don't know…" Alec said. "Seizures? Something about my seizures, right?"

"That's right," Ben said with a small smile.

"Ben…"

"Yeah?"

"My head hurts…" Alec mumbled.

"I know," Ben said. "That's why I have some painkillers, antibiotics, and your tryptophan. If you take them, then I'll let you go to sleep for a little while."

"Alright," Alec agreed.

"We'll figure this all out," Ben reassured. "Right after you get some sleep, ok?"

"'Mkay…" Alec slurred.

* * *

 _2013_

 _"Dean, Alec didn't sleep for days at a time looking for a way to get you two back," Sam said. "He tried everything he could think of to find you. He hated going to school and doing homework and acting normal. All he wanted to do was hunt and find you, but I wouldn't let him." He hated how Dean was acting because he knew it was hurting Alec more than just going on a hunt. He'd taken care of Alec while Dean was gone, so he knew his nephew a lot better now, and this was killing him to be sidelined._

 _"Sam, where are you going with this?" Dean growled._

 _"You're acting like Alec can't hunt because he wasn't there with you two," Sam said. "You're trying to bench both of us, but it bothers Alec a lot more than it bothers me. He thinks you don't trust him, and from where I'm standing, it really looks like you don't trust him, which is ridiculous because you and I both know he's fantastic at hunting."_

 _"Sam, I don't want him to get hurt," Dean said. It sounded like a lame excuse, but he and Ben had fought for their lives in Purgatory, and he knew what Ben could handle. Alec had been out of hunting since they'd gone missing, and he was happy that his boy had been kept safe while he was gone, but he didn't want him hunting now. He had to be rusty and that meant he could get hurt._

 _"He's_ going _to get hurt if you don't let him hunt," Sam said. "He'll sneak out and hunt on his own if he has to just to prove to you that he can still hunt. I tried to do what you wanted and gave him a normal life. He hated it, but we tried. All he wanted was his Dad and his brother back, and now that you're back, he's still left out."_

 _"Alright, alright, I'll talk to him," Dean placated._

 _"And you'll let him in on the next hunt," Sam pushed. He wasn't going to drop this until his brother gave up his stupid idea that Alec couldn't hunt. He and Alec hadn't gone through Purgatory, but they'd gone through their own Hell. His brother had to know how hard it was to take care of Alec after he'd lost someone since he'd lost him when he'd gone into the pit, he was there when Ellen and Jo died, he lost Bobby…Alec was the toughest kid he knew, and Dean had to know that, and he had to know he couldn't keep him from hunting._

 _"Depends on what-"_

 _"No Dean, he's in on it," Sam cut off. "No matter what we're hunting, he's in on it. He can handle it." Dean took a deep breath and finally nodded his ok. "And I think you should talk to him right now," Sam said. "He missed you so much and you've been avoiding him. You talk to him now, or I'm gonna kick your ass."_

 _"Like you could…" Dean muttered._

 _"Dean."_

 _"Ok, I'll go talk to him," Dean said._

 _He nodded once, but followed Dean as his brother went back into the motel. He was going to make sure his brother actually talked to Alec, and he would try to talk to Ben about what he'd gone through. They both stopped short when they walked in the room. Alec and Ben were on the floor, tangled together wrestling and fighting like their lives depended on it._

 _He and Dean jumped forward to try to split the boys apart, but neither one would let up. There was blood all over the floor, so at least one boy was hurt, but they wouldn't know who until they could break up the fight._

 _"Ben! Stop!" Dean yelled._

 _Surprisingly, Ben immediately stopped and looked up at Dean. Alec shoved his brother off of him and stormed out of the room._

 _"I'll go get him," Sam said. Normally, Dean would be able to talk to Alec better than him, but right now nothing was normal. He ran outside and quickly caught up to his nephew. Alec was limping and holding his right arm close to his body, and he was definitely bleeding. He needed to get Alec back to the room to get him patched up, but that would only start the fight over again. The boys had fought before, but that was way back when they'd first met each other. They hadn't come to blows in a long time, so he'd forgotten how serious it was when they were fighting. "Alec, slow down," Sam said. "I wanna talk to you."_

 _"I don't wanna talk…" Alec muttered, his voice thick with tears._

 _He grabbed Alec's shoulder, and quickly defended the punch that immediately followed. "Ok we don't have to talk," Sam said. "Just let me patch you up. We can go to the Impala and-"_

 _"No, I don't want anything to do with them," Alec said. "They don't want me around, so I'm leaving."_

 _"Alec, I want you around," Sam said. "And I don't want you to be bleeding and limping down the street…"_

 _"They hate me…" Alec whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Ben told me I was gonna mess everything up and Dad won't let me hunt…"_

 _"I talked to your Dad," Sam said. "He's going to let you hunt again, he was just scared that you were going to get hurt."_

 _"I just wanna go home…" Alec mumbled._

 _"Alec-"_

 _"They should've just stayed in Purgatory!" Alec yelled. He quickly pulled his nephew in for a tight hug, letting him sob against his chest. "They don't wanna be here and they hate us and-"_

 _"Alec, they don't hate us," Sam whispered. "We just don't know what they went through, but from what I've gotten out of Dean, it was bad."_

 _"It was bad for us too," Alec said._

 _"I know," Sam said. "And we'll get through this, ok? We just need to give them some time." Alec nodded, so he gently brushed his tears away and asked, "You ready to go back now? I really need to start patching you up…" Alec had a pretty deep cut on his forehead and other cuts and bruises on his face and hands. And he couldn't figure out if Alec's right arm was hurt or if it was his ribs, or if his ankle was just twisted or if it was a sprain._

 _"I don't wanna go back…" Alec said._

 _"Alec, I really need to patch you up," Sam said. "We don't have to talk to them if you don't want to. We can go to the bathroom and just lock the door until everything calms down, ok?"_

 _"Promise we don't have to talk to them?" Alec asked._

 _"I promise," Sam said._

 _"Ok…"_

 _He smiled and carefully picked Alec up and carried him back to their room. Dean was cleaning up Ben's cuts when they walked in, but neither of them looked up or said anything._

 _"I'm going to need the first aid kit," Sam said. He'd promised they didn't have to talk to Dean or Ben, but he really needed to stitch up Alec's cut, and Dean had their first aid kit. Dean looked up, and he immediately saw the guilt in his brother's eyes. He wanted to reassure him that Alec was ok, but Alec wasn't ok. He needed his Dad and his brother, but neither of them were able to be there for him since they were dealing with their own problems._

 _"Alright, I'm almost done with it," Dean said._

 _Ben had a little bit of blood on his face, but it looked like it wasn't his blood, but he did have a pretty deep cut down his arm. "We'll be in the bathroom," Sam said, carrying Alec into the other room and closing the door._

 _He sat Alec down on the closed toilet seat, and then got a washcloth wet so he could start to clean up his nephew._

 _Dean finished the stitches down Ben's arm, and then slowly stood up. "I'm gonna check on your brother, ok buddy?"_

 _"Dad…I'm sorry," Ben whispered. "I started the fight…"_

 _"Ben, it's ok," Dean reassured._

 _"I don't know how to go back to how it was," Ben muttered. "He doesn't understand, and I don't want to talk to him anymore…"_

 _He slowly crouched down again and said, "Ben, I know it's hard to talk to them right now, but we've gotta try harder, buddy. They never stopped looking for us even though it looked like we'd died, and they aren't giving up on us."_

 _"I'm sorry I hit Alec," Ben said. "I think I broke his ribs…"_

 _"Ok, I'm just gonna check on him, ok? We'll get better at this, I promise, we've just gotta figure out how to go back to normal," Dean said. "And try not to hit your brother anymore, ok?"_

 _"Ok…" Ben whispered._

 _He stood up again, running his hand through Ben's hair before he headed for the bathroom with the first aid kit. He knocked before he slowly opened the door a crack, but then Sam appeared, blocking his entrance. "Sam…"_

 _"Do you have the first aid kit?" Sam asked._

 _"Can I check him over?" Dean asked. "Ben said he might've broken his ribs…"_

 _"I'll ask him," Sam said, turning away from him. He heard Sam ask Alec if it was ok if he checked him over, but he couldn't hear Alec's reply. He hated that he couldn't just go in there and check on his son, but this was his own fault. He should've talked to Alec a lot sooner than this. He really should have talked to both of his boys before it'd come to this. "He says he's fine," Sam said, coming back over to him._

 _"Sam…I screwed up and I just wanna talk to him," Dean said._

 _Sam looked back at Alec, and then turned back to him and slowly nodded. "Alright, he says you can check him over."_

 _He breathed out in relief and quickly switched places with Sam, closing the door behind him. "Hey kiddo…" Dean said with a small, slightly forced, smile. Alec didn't look up at him or say anything, which broke his heart. He did this. Alec had tried to find him, and once he was back, he'd avoided his little boy. He'd been so afraid that something was going to happen to Ben while they were in Purgatory, and he didn't want to have that feeling around Alec too, so he'd avoided him. "Is it ok if I check you over?" Dean asked._

 _"I'm fine…" Alec whispered._

 _"Well, I've gotta at least stitch up that cut…" Dean said, slowly walking forward. Alec barely looked up at him before he quickly looked away again. How had he managed to screw this up so badly? Alec was his little boy, and usually, they just understood each other without even needing to talk._

 _But Alec was completely silent as he cleaned him up the rest of the way and stitched up the cut on his forehead. His little boy did have a couple broken ribs, and he hated that Ben felt threatened enough to hurt his brother this badly. Purgatory messed up his whole family even though he and Ben were the ones to go. He had to remember that Alec and Sam had thought they'd never see them again and he knew how that felt._

 _"Alec, I'm really sorry," Dean finally whispered. Alec just shrugged back, so he knew what he'd said wasn't enough. "I'm still freaked out from what happened…and, I don't know…I guess I was trying to keep you safe…"_

 _"I really missed you," Alec whispered with a small sniffle._

 _He quickly reached out and pulled Alec into his lap so he could hold him close. "I missed you too, Alec, but I'd be lying if I said I wanted you there with me. I knew you were safe while you were here with Sam and I wished Ben wasn't with me every day we were there."_

 _"What was it like?" Alec asked softly._

 _"Alec…"_

 _"Ben gets mad when I ask him," Alec said. "He won't tell me anything…"_

 _He took a deep breath, and then said, "It was terrifying…We were on the run all the time with monsters breathing down our necks just waiting to kill us. I barely slept even after Benny started helping us…I was so scared that something was going to get Ben while we were there, and I'm still scared that I'm going to lose you two…"_

 _Alec finally hugged him, and he instantly hugged him back. "I still missed you," Alec whispered._

 _"I missed you to Alec," Dean said._

* * *

Present

"Sammy, you ok?" Dean asked, slowly standing up and looking around. The angels were gone, but so was the rest of his family. His boys were gone…They could be dead, the angels could have killed them, but he couldn't know because he wasn't there.

"Where are we? Where're the boys?" Sam asked, standing up next to him. They were in some kind of forest, and it was night time instead of daylight like it was back home.

"I don't know," Dean said, running his hand through his hair. "Sam…they were hurt, and the angels-"

"Hey, it's not gonna do any good to freak yourself out," Sam cut off. "The boys might be just fine back at Jody's."

"Even if they are at Jody's, they're still hurt," Dean said. "And the angels could still be there, and they could die while we're stuck wherever the Hell we are."

"Jody, Mary, and Jack could all be there still," Sam said. "And even if they aren't, you and I both know the boys can take care of themselves."

He took a deep breath and looked around again; he'd feel a lot better if he just knew for sure that the boys were ok, but he wouldn't be able to know that until they could get back to them. "Any idea where we're at?" Dean asked, trying to ignore the panic he felt right now.

"Some kind of forest, but it doesn't look like any forest in North America…" Sam said. "The trees are too big and, I don't know, it's just kind of creepy here…"

"Is that your expert opinion," Dean teased.

"You asked," Sam shot back.

"Well, I can rule out Purgatory," Dean said. "It's not there and it's not Hell…"

"You think it might be an alternate universe?" Sam asked.

"If it is, then how the Hell did we get here?" Dean asked.

"No idea…" Sam said, looking around.

"And how the Hell do we get back?" Dean asked.

He knew his brother wasn't looking for a real answer, which was good because he didn't have one. "No idea…" Sam said again. He hated to think that the boys were back home by themselves, hurt, and maybe still getting attacked by the angels. But Ben and Alec could take care of themselves, or at least they could take care of each other. And they knew that if they were in really bad shape, then they needed to go to the hospital. He just hoped Alec didn't have any seizures while they were gone…he would be sure to not mention that to his brother. Maybe Jody was still there, and she could look after the boys until they could get back to them. It wasn't very likely since Alec and Ben had Winchester luck, but maybe just once they would catch a break.

"Ok, we've gotta find water first," Dean said. He had to focus on staying alive. He had to stay alive, find a way out of this place, and find his boys again. He couldn't find them if he was dead. "Water, shelter, weapons, food," he listed. "We're no good to them dead, so we stay alive, and then we'll figure out the rest."

Sam took a deep breath, and then nodded in agreement, "Ok…water first."

* * *

 _2011_

 _"They're gettin' too big for this," Dean said as he carefully picked Alec up and held him close as he slept._

 _"No kidding," Sam said with a laugh, picking up Ben._

 _"They're growin' too fast…" Dean muttered. "Pretty soon, my little boys won't be very little anymore…"_

 _"Dean, if this is about not having them when they were younger…" Sam started._

 _"If I'd known about them sooner, I could've gotten them when they were really little," Dean said. "I could've had them when they were babies…"_

 _"Dean, we both know we have no idea how to take care of babies, especially when_ they _were babies," Sam said. "You were 20 or 21 when they were born."_

 _"I could've taken care of them," Dean muttered._

 _Sam smiled though and said, "I can't even imagine how Dad would've reacted to you having twin boys."_

 _He opened the door to their room and slowly walked inside. "You know Dad…He would've been mad for a while, but Alec and Ben are pretty much the cutest little kids ever, so he would've come around."_

 _"You ever think about what it would be like to have Mom and Dad back and raising the boys back in Kansas?" Sam asked._

 _"All the time," Dean said. He carefully tucked Alec into bed while Sam tucked Ben in. "They could go to school and be real kids and have friends…And they could have Christmas presents and birthday parties and an actual house. I wish I could give them everything…"_

 _"You're keeping them safe, giving them food, clothes, shelter, love, Dean, you're giving them everything you can already," Sam said._

 _"Yeah…" Dean said._

 _"Dad?" Alec mumbled sleepily, which automatically woke Ben up._

 _"Hey kiddo," Dean said, running his hand through Alec's hair, and then rubbing Ben's shoulder._

 _"Are you going to bed too?" Alec asked._

 _He looked over at Sam, who rolled his eyes and said, "You only have maybe one more year before they decide they're too cool for you."_

 _"Shut up," Dean grumbled._

 _"I'll go get the bags," Sam said with a laugh._

 _He huffed, but then rolled onto the bed, rolling onto Alec for a second before he rolled slightly on Ben. Alec immediately started giggling while Ben pushed him off and rolled on him instead. He tickled Ben, making him giggle, but then Alec piled on top of both of them._

 _"Obviously bed time didn't last…" Sam mumbled as he walked back in._

 _Alec yelled and quickly ran at Sam, plowing right into him. Sam picked him up though and tossed him onto the bed, making him laugh even more. Ben tried to get up when Sam started tickling Alec, but he grabbed his little boy and tossed him back on the bed and tickled him too._

 _"What happened to just letting them sleep?" Sam asked while he kept tickling Alec._

 _"I couldn't help it," Dean said, finally letting Ben breathe. They hadn't laughed for a long time since Sam had been missing his soul and Alec had actually been missing. But now they were all together again, Alec was feeling a lot better, and Sam was back to normal, even if he still had a lot of questions._

 _"Uncle Sam…I can't breathe…" Alec said through his laughter._

 _"Alright…" Sam said, releasing Alec._

 _"Piggyback ride," Alec said, jumping up from the bed and quickly climbing onto Sam's back._

 _"Where to?" Sam asked._

 _"Outside!" Alec yelled._

 _"No, you're staying inside," Dean said._

 _"Dad…" Alec whined._

 _"Either you stay inside or you go to bed," Dean said._

 _"Fine…" Alec said. "Uncle Sam, throw me on the bed again! That was a lot of fun!"_

 _"Me too!" Ben yelled, jumping up to join in on the fun._

 _He smiled as the boys had some fun, but ended it as soon as his brother looked over at him and silently begged for it to be bedtime. "Ok boys, it's time for bed," Dean said, walking over and picking Alec up._

 _"We don't want to go to bed," Alec said matter-of-factly._

 _"Yeah, we want to keep playing," Ben said, looking to Alec, who nodded back in agreement._

 _"If you agree to go to brush your teeth and go to bed, then you don't have to take a bath beforehand," Dean bargained. His boys looked at each other, so he looked over at Sam and smirked. Sam shrugged back and chuckled._

 _"Ok, fine," Alec said, but then he quickly asked, "Can we sleep with you tonight?"_

 _"Fine," Dean said, trying to hide his smile. He set Alec down and said, "I want you in PJ's with your teeth brushed and in bed in ten minutes. And no complaining, got it?"_

 _"Got it," Alec and Ben said at the same time, running for the bathroom._

 _He chuckled and slowly took off his boots and got into bed. Usually one of the boys slept with him while the other slept with Sam unless he could get a rollaway bed in the room or a room with a sofa in it. If he could get something else in the room, then the boys would sleep in the same bed and he and Sam would argue about who should take the other bed. He always tried to get Sam to take the other bed since he only slept a few hours anyway, but Sam always thought he'd sleep more if he was on the bed. But he actually did sleep when one of his boys stayed with him. The nightmares stayed away for the most part when he had one of his boys next to him. And he knew for sure his boys were still ok when they were right next to him._

 _Alec actually ran out of the bathroom first, which meant he was probably elbowing his brother the entire time, but he wasn't going to say anything since it was harder to get Alec to bed than it was to fight a hellhound._

 _"Dad, can we go to Bobby's again soon?" Alec asked as he got under the covers and snuggled against his side._

 _"Yeah, we'll go pretty soon," Dean said, running his hand through Alec's hair._

 _"Dad, can you read to us tonight?" Ben asked as he walked out of the bathroom._

 _"Yeah buddy, come on over here," Dean said, patting the bed. Sam tossed him one of the books he'd gotten for the boys, and he opened it where they left off. Both boys fell asleep against him after the first chapter that he read, so he kissed the top of their heads and tucked them in._

 _"'Night Sam…" Dean said._

 _"'Night Dean…" Sam said._

* * *

Present

"Jack, you ok?" Mary asked as she stood up and brushed herself off. "Jody?"

"I'm good," Jody said.

"Um…yeah…" Jack said in confusion. "Where did everyone else go?"

She looked around the forest, but she didn't see Sam and Dean or Alec and Ben. The last thing she remembered was that they were losing against the angels. "I don't know," Mary said.

The three of them froze when multiple guns cocked, and then people slowly started appearing from behind trees. They looked pretty rough, but they were heavily armed, and their guns were all pointing at them.

"Hands up…unless you want some extra holes," a gruff voice said. She slowly raised her hands up in surrender since there wasn't anything else she could do.

"Bobby Singer?" Jody asked in surprise.

"Do I know you?" the man who must be Bobby asked back.

"Um…well, the Bobby I know is dead," Jody said.

"Come again?"

"Where are we?" Jody asked instead of answering.

"South Dakota. Where else would ya be?" Bobby growled.

"This doesn't look like South Dakota," Jack said.

"Where did you come from?" Bobby asked.

"We were in South Dakota, but now we're here," Mary said.

"That don't make a lick of sense," Bobby said. "Someone check 'em to see if they're human. The sooner we get back under cover, the better." They were each sliced on the arm with a knife, but they seemed satisfied that they were human once they were done. "Welcome to the apocalypse," Bobby muttered.

* * *

 _2016_

 _"For two kids who claimed they weren't tired, you sure slept a long time," Dean said as his boys stumbled into the kitchen. Alec and Ben had both said they weren't tired last night since they'd been forced to sleep for so long, but they'd just slept the whole night, and had even slept longer than him and Sam. He wanted to claim that he wasn't worried that they'd slept for so long, but he was their Dad, which meant he would always worry about them._

 _"Turns out, whatever they gave us might still be hanging around…" Alec mumbled. "I feel like I could sleep for a week…"_

 _His son dropped down heavily into the closest chair and practically laid on the table. Ben wasn't far behind, but he knew a way to perk them both up. He set down the plate of bacon, which made Alec and Ben look up in surprise._

 _"Bacon…" Ben breathed, grabbing six strips of bacon before he could stop him. Alec had already stuffed three strips into his mouth and was working on the fourth when he caught his eye and shook his head no. Alec rolled his eyes but slowed down stuffing his face._

 _"You guys gonna save some for the rest of us?" Sam asked in amusement._

 _"We're hungry," Ben said. "And we love bacon." Alec didn't even try to answer since he was still trying to chew all the bacon that was currently in his mouth._

 _He set down two glasses of milk in front of his boys, and then sat down in the chair across from them. Sam brought over plates, forks, and the skillet of scrambled eggs before he sat down too._

 _"Alright, so what have you found on her Majesty's Secret Suckbags?" Dean asked._

 _"Well, I may have turned the bunker upside down looking for any reference whatsoever to the British Men of Letters, and all I found was this letter tucked into an old ledger, uh, from the "London Chapterhouse," Sam said._

 _"Ok, well that's something," Dean said._

 _"Yeah, uh…not so much," Sam said, holding up the letter he found._

 _He took the letter, but most of it was blacked out, so he couldn't read it. "Awesome," Dean grumbled passing the letter over to the boys. Alec ignored it, and just rested against the table again, still eating bacon. Ben looked at it for a minute, but then went back to his food._

 _Cas suddenly appeared in the doorway, but he just kind of stood there, looking around._

 _"Mornin' sunshine. Some coffee?" Dean asked._

 _"No, thank you," Cas said. "I have to go."_

 _Cas immediately started walking away, but he and Sam both stood up to follow him. He looked back at his boys and said, "Stay here."_

 _"No argument here…" Ben muttered. Alec just raise his hand up to acknowledge that he'd heard him, but didn't move otherwise._

 _"Cas?" Sam asked._

 _"Cas, wait up," Dean said, running after them._

 _"Hey, wait a second," Sam said. "Where you off to?"_

 _Cas finally stopped and turned to look at them. "Cleveland, Ohio."_

 _"For what?" Sam asked._

 _"I think I may have a lead on Lucifer," Cas said. "I found a police report in Cleveland about a man whose eyes flashed a glowing red. It could be Lucifer in a new body."_

 _"Alright," Dean said. "Yeah, that sounds like something. We should go check it out."_

 _"No," Cas stated. "The Devil is free because of me. Finding him is my responsibility."_

 _"Cas, you're gonna want some backup on this," Sam said._

 _"If it is him, I will call you. In the meantime, I think you're needed here," Cas said. He waited a minute to see if they had anything else to say, but then turned and walked away again._

 _"The Hell was that about?" Dean asked._

"Mom?" Sam asked back as they walked back to the kitchen.

 _They both stopped when they saw Mom was actually in the kitchen, standing there awkwardly. The boys were both wide awake now, neither of them touching their food. They didn't know Mary, and she didn't know them, so they were wary around each other._

 _"Hey," he and Sam said at the same time._

 _"Hey. Hi," Mary replied._

 _"Hey. Morning," Sam said, making it even more awkward._

 _"Oh," Mary said when she spotted the few pieces of bacon remaining on the plate._

 _"Oh, we can fry up some more," Sam said. "The boys ate most of it."_

 _"There's still bacon," Mary said, picking up one of the pieces and eating it._

 _"Wow, we are so related," Dean said with a smile. He couldn't believe Mom was back, but he really couldn't be happier. He just needed her to start liking his boys, and this would be perfect._

 _She didn't know how to react to the fact that her boys were all grown up, and what was worse, Dean had his own kids who were teenagers. She couldn't wrap her head around any of this._

 _"Did you cut your hair?" Sam asked as she ate another piece of bacon._

 _She shrugged, "I'm gonna keep it short if I'm gonna go out on a hunt, you know? Why give the bad guys the advantage of long pullable hair, right?"_

 _"Wow, I've been trying to tell Sam that for years," Dean said._

 _She smiled a little, but only because she didn't know what to say. One of the twins chuckled, but she actually couldn't tell them apart yet. They just looked like miniature versions of Dean, and it made her sad. She didn't get to see Dean as a teenager, and now her little boy was a man, a Dad even. She didn't belong here._

 _"Did you say, uh, 'going out on a hunt'?" Sam asked._

 _"I found a case," she said. She thought hunting would actually make her feel better, and it would get her out of the bunker and away from her boys for a while._

 _"I thought you were still struggling with even the_ idea _of the Internet," Sam said._

 _"I had Dean pick up some newspapers when he went into town," she said._

 _"Whoa, whoa," Dean said. "I…You didn't tell me you were looking for a case."_

 _"I wasn't," she said. "I just…found one. Minnesota. Two dead, locked room. Victims had put in a call about a crying baby. But the place was empty. The only thing at the scene was their bodies. Been five days, and the coroner still hasn't put out a cause of death. Seemed fishy." Her boys shared a look that clearly said they didn't want her hunting. The twins were still just looking at her, which was really starting to freak her out. "It's probably nothing," she said. "I just thought I might…get out there, stretch my legs."_

 _"I…I thought you…you weren't down to hunt in the first place," Sam said._

 _"Well things change, right?" Dean asked, trying to make this whole situation less awkward. "Family hunting trip." As soon as he said it, he regretted it. This was going to be the most awkward hunting trip, but maybe this would help them understand each other a little better._

 _His Mom didn't look like she wanted them to join in, but then she slowly nodded and said, "Sure."_

 _"Alright," Dean said. "Meet at the car in 10."_

 _Mary left the room, leaving him, Sam, and the twins in the kitchen._

 _"Dad…are you sure we should go too?" Ben asked, looking at his brother, and then back to him._

 _"Yeah, it's a family hunting trip," Dean said. "But if you boys are too tired, then you can stay here. You just have to actually stay here and rest."_

 _"I'm ready," Alec said, jumping up._

 _Ben rolled his eyes, but slowly stood up too, "I'm coming too…"_

 _"Ok, let's grab our gear and hit the road," Dean said with a small smile. Maybe this wasn't going to be a complete disaster._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	14. Chapter 14

_So, this chapter is a little long but hopefully you all like it! There's a flashback from season 5 and from season 12._

* * *

Chapter 14

Present

His shoulder was throbbing when he finally woke up again. His shoulder and his head. He couldn't really remember what happened even though he knew he should know. But his head hurt too much to think about it, and his shoulder actually felt like it was on fire.

"Alec, hold still," Ben whispered. "I'm changing your bandages, ok? So, just hold still."

"Hurts," Alec admitted.

"Don't be such a baby," Claire said. He opened his eyes to glare at her, but she just smirked back and dabbed at his forehead with a wet washcloth.

"Bite me," Alec snarled.

"Ooo cranky this morning," Claire teased.

"Alec, your shoulder's already getting infected," Ben said before he could say anything to Claire. "I think maybe some metal got left behind…I'll have to wash it out again before I repack it…"

"Claire…you gotta go…" Alec said.

"What? Why?" Claire asked.

"Because I've managed to never cry in front of a girl," Alec said. "And this is gonna hurt like Hell and…" And he only felt comfortable being that weak in front of Ben, his Dad, or Uncle Sam.

"And you don't want to break your record," Claire said with a smile. "Fine, but if Ben needs help, I'm coming back even if you're crying."

"Ben won't need your help," he said confidently. "He could be the world's youngest doctor because he's just that good."

"You say that now," Ben muttered. "You'll be cursing me and calling me a butcher pretty soon…" Ben grabbed some supplies, but then looked at Claire and asked, "Can you see if Alex can grab anything from the hospital? We need more antibiotics and he really needs some fluids and it wouldn't hurt to have more bandages…"

"I'll call her, see what she can do," Claire said, leaving the room.

"I'm alright…" Alec breathed. "You're starting to freak out…" Ben always freaked out when he was hurt, but he understood why because he always freaked out when Ben was hurt. And they both panicked when their Dad was hurt. He was still afraid he was going to lose his Dad for real again, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He knew Dad was still alive now even though he was in another universe, but he didn't think he could survive losing his family for real again.

"I'm not freaking out," Ben argued. "You do need more antibiotics and you definitely need fluids. I'll have to go steal stuff if Alex can't get them…" His brother really needed to be in a hospital, but he didn't want to have that fight right now, especially since he knew he wouldn't win, not without Dad around. Alec didn't do hospitals unless Dad said he had to go.

"We need to leave anyway," Alec whispered. "It's too dangerous to stay here…"

"Alec, I can't move you," Ben said. "You can barely sit up let alone ride for hours back to the bunker." No matter how much he wanted to get Alec back home, he couldn't, not now. Alec was too hurt to move right now even if it was dangerous to stay here. He could protect his brother if the angels came back.

"It's open season on Winchesters," Alec argued. "The angels know we're here and as soon as they figure out that we didn't disappear with everyone else, they'll be back. And neither of us are up for a fight right now." Ben could think whatever he wanted, but they couldn't stay here. He knew his brother thought he could still protect him if the angels came back, but he wasn't going to lose his brother, which meant he needed to suck it up and get as far away from here that he could. He knew he couldn't ride in the car for very long, but he could make it a few hours before they had to stop.

"But you're not up to running right now either," Ben shot back, seeing right through Alec's deflection. His brother was trying to get him to be more concerned about the angels coming back than his health, but it wasn't going to work. He wasn't losing his brother.

Claire stomped back into the room and said, "Get up. Alec's right, we can't stay here."

"Told you," Alec said, shooting a smirk to Ben.

"But Ben's right too," Claire snapped. "You're not up to going all the way back to the bunker."

"Then what…" Ben started.

"We're sneaking him into the hospital," Claire said. "It'll be easier for Alex to steal what we need if we're already there and if we sneak you in, then there's no record of you ever being there. She says there's a spot she knows of where they just leave old equipment, and no one goes down there."

"I'm not goin' to the hospital," Alec grumbled.

"Alec, you can either cooperate or I'm gonna knock you out and take you to the hospital anyway," Ben warned. This sounded like a good idea; it would get them away from Jody's and it would get Alec the help he needed.

"Or I could just steal Dad's car and leave the two of you here," Alec said.

"Yeah, and then I'll find out you died because you wrapped the car around a tree when you passed out at the wheel," Ben stated. Just the thought of that made him shudder. He could clearly imagine Alec doing something like that, and he'd find his brother dead at the wheel.

"Just wrap my shoulder up real good and drug me up with as much stuff that we have," Alec said. "I want to go home. I'll cooperate if we go home."

Ben looked like he didn't believe him, but he wasn't going to the hospital without his Dad around. He didn't care that his brother and one of their best friends was going to be there, he wasn't going to go without his Dad, and Ben had to know that. His brother finally nodded, "Alright, we can go home, but you are taking painkillers and tryptophan and you're staying in the backseat. And once we're home, you stay laying down no matter what, ok? I don't want to keep reminding you once we're there and I don't want to argue every time I tell you to take your pills or when I have to change your bandages, and you're gonna be on fluids for a while, so no griping about that either."

"Fine," Alec quickly agreed.

"What about me and Alex?" Claire asked.

"You guys should leave for a while," Ben said. "Hide out for a month or so until the angels catch on that we went somewhere else."

"Yeah, it's too dangerous to stay here," Alec said.

"Alright, but you guys better call us when you find something out," Claire said. "I want in if we're going to another universe."

"Deal," Alec said.

* * *

 _2010_

 _He could tell that Alec was still snuggled against his side, but he could also tell they were no longer sleeping on a mattress. He woke up and looked around to see that their room was trashed. It was fine when they went to sleep, but now it looked like it had been ransacked for years._

 _He scooped Alec up and held him close since he didn't know what the Hell was going on. Alec grumbled a little, but slowly started to wake up as he walked over to the window._

 _"Dean?" Alec asked sleepily._

 _"Hey kiddo," Dean whispered. He peeked outside, but the city was destroyed. Something had happened overnight, and he suspected it was Zachariah's doing. "How're you feeling?" he asked. Alec seemed to only have the one seizure, which was good, but his little boy wasn't as active as he usually was in the morning._

 _"Tired," Alec said, resting against his shoulder._

 _"Ok," Dean said. He looked around for any of their things, but only saw their jackets where he'd left them on the back of a chair. "Ok," he said again. "Let's get your jacket on, ok? We gotta go figure out what's going on…"_

 _"What?" Alec asked in confusion. He moved his head on his shoulder to look around, and then asked, "What happened? Where are we?"_

 _"Hey, everything's ok," Dean soothed, rubbing Alec's back. "I'm guessin' we're still in Kansas City, but I think the angels zapped us into a different time…"_

 _"They can do that?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah, they can," Dean said. "They want me to see something, so we just gotta play along, ok?"_

 _"Ok…"_

 _He slowly put Alec down and got his little jacket on him. He shrugged into his own jacket, and then knelt down in front of his little boy. "I need you to stay with me no matter what, ok? Hold my hand, stay by my side, whatever we've gotta do because we can't get separated. It's really important we stick together…"_

 _"Ok," Alec whispered. He was scaring his little boy, but he had to make sure they didn't get separated because he didn't know what would happen if they died here. He would've given anything to have Alec somewhere safe right now, but he didn't have a choice._

 _He stood up again, holding onto Alec's hand, and then headed for the door._

* * *

 _Dean held his finger to his lips to tell him to be quiet, but he already knew that. He held Dean's hand tighter and tried not to show how scared he was. He didn't like being in the future, he didn't like Zachariah, he didn't like that Bobby was dead…he just wanted to go back to their time and hang out with Dean again. He didn't want to run from the people infected with the Croatoan virus._

 _But he didn't tell Dean any of that. He just held Dean's hand and stuck as close to him as he could since he knew Dean would keep him safe. Dean had taken care of him after he had his seizure, and he knew Dean would take care of him now._

 _They slowly walked over to a fence, but they stayed out of sight of the men with guns who were patrolling the area._

 _"C'mon kiddo, up and over," Dean whispered, helping him over the fence even though he could've jumped over the fence without help. Dean quickly followed, and then grabbed his hand again. "Cas is here, so we'll find him, and then he'll send us back, ok?"_

 _"Ok…" Alec whispered._

 _They slowly walked away from the fence, but then Dean stopped when he saw something. "Oh, baby, no…" Dean breathed as he walked over to a smashed up car that looked like it'd been there for a while. "Oh, no, baby, what did they do to you?"_

 _He felt bad for Dean since he really liked his car, and he didn't like seeing the Impala like this either. The Impala was another sign of safety. If he was with Dean and in the Impala, then everything was ok._

 _"Dean…" Alec said as soon as he heard someone coming._

 _Dean immediately straightened up from looking inside the driver's window, but both of them froze when they saw another Dean about to hit his Dean. His Dean dodged out of the way in time, but then released his hand and yelled, "Alec run!"_

 _He didn't want to leave his Dean though, so he didn't listen to him even though he was probably going to get in trouble. He grabbed his Dean's hand again and hid behind his leg._

 _"Alec?" the other Dean asked. He peeked out from behind his Dean's leg to see the other Dean trying to see him. "Is that really Alec?" Other Dean asked his Dean._

 _"Yeah…" his Dean slowly replied._

 _Other Dean kept looking at him, which was really starting to freak him out. "C'mon," other Dean finally said, motioning with his gun for them to follow him._

 _His Dean hesitated, but then turned slightly and picked him up. He hid against his Dean's neck as they followed the other Dean. This just got a whole lot weirder…_

 _The other Dean brought them to a room, but then pointed his gun at his Dean again. "We gotta do the check," other Dean said. His Dean didn't make any move to cooperate though. "You can put Alec down…I'm not gonna hurt him," other Dean said, his eyes sad._

 _Dean slowly put him down, but he grabbed Dean's hand and refused to let go. "I'll do whatever check you want, but you're not touching him, got it?" his Dean growled._

 _Other Dean nodded, so his Dean rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. The other Dean cut his Dean with a knife, and then drizzled water on his skin. The other Dean searched his Dean, pulling out every lockpick, box cutter, and switchblade he could find. The other Dean didn't search him though, which was good because his Dean wouldn't like that._

 _"You wanna explain this?" other Dean asked._

 _"Zachariah," his Dean said shortly._

 _"Come again?" other Dean asked in disbelief._

 _"I'm you. Zach plucked us from our bed and threw us five years into the future," his Dean said._

 _"Where is he? I want to talk to him," other Dean said._

 _"I don't know," his Dean said._

 _"Oh, you don't know," other Dean muttered._

 _"No, I don't know," his Dean said. "Look, I just want to get us back to our own freakin' year, ok?" He hid behind his Dean's leg again, which drew the other Dean's attention. The other Dean looked really sad again when he looked at him, but then he looked back at his Dean._

 _"So, what, Zach zapped you up here to see how bad it gets?" Other Dean asked._

 _"I guess," his Dean said. "Croatoan virus, right? That's their endgame?"_

 _Other Dean shrugged, "It's efficient, it's incurable, and it's scary as Hell. Turns people into monsters. Started hitting the major cities about two years ago. World really went in the crapper after that."_

 _"What about Sam?" His Dean asked._

 _The other Dean froze, but then said, "Heavyweight showdown in Detroit. From what I understand, Sam didn't make it."_

 _He looked up at his Dean, but he just looked mad at the other Dean. "You weren't with him?"_

 _"No. No, me and Sam, we haven't talk in…Hell, five years," other Dean said. He knew his Dean was mad at Sam right now, but he couldn't imagine not talking to Sam for five years._

 _"We never tried to find him?" Dean asked incredulously._

 _"We had other people to worry about," other Dean said. Other Dean started for the door, leaving them behind._

 _"Where you going?" his Dean asked._

 _"I gotta run an errand," other Dean said._

 _"And your just gonna leave us here?" his Dean asked._

 _"Yes," other Dean said. "I got a camp full of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an apocalypse hanging over their head. The last thing they need to see is a version of_ The Parent Trap _. So, yeah, you stay here."_

 _"Fine," Dean said as the other Dean left. Dean waited just a few minutes before he said, "C'mon kiddo, we're getting out of here."_

* * *

 _Everyone in the camp gave him funny looks. They thought his Dean was the other Dean, but then they would catch sight of him and frown in confusion. Castiel figured out they were from the past, but even he gave him a funny look at first. It was weirding him out, but Dean was starting to freak out. And then other Dean came back and shot a guy all because he wanted to get the Colt. To make it all worse, other Dean wanted him and his Dean to go with them to try to kill the Devil._

 _"Why are you taking us?" Dean asked after Cas and Risa left their little brainstorming powwow._

 _"Relax. You'll be fine," other Dean said. "Zach's looking after you, right?"_

 _"Me, yeah, but not Alec," Dean said. "But that's not what I mean. I want to know what's going on."_

 _"Yeah, ok," other Dean said, looking at him briefly again before he looked back to his Dean. "You're coming because I want you to see something. I want you to see our brother."_

 _"Sam? I thought he was dead," his Dean said. He was sitting on his Dean's lap, still trying not to freak out too bad. He usually only let Dean hold his hand or pick him up and carry him when he was really tired or after a hunt, but this place scared him, so he let Dean carry him and he never let go of the man's hand unless he absolutely had to. He knew Dean wasn't kidding when he said something bad could happen if they got separated._

 _"Sam didn't die in Detroit," Other Dean said. "He said 'yes'."_

 _"'Yes'?" Dean asked in surprise. Other Dean didn't say anything, so his Dean said, "Wait…you mean-"_

 _"That's right," other Dean said. "The big 'yes'. To the devil. Lucifer's wearing him to the prom."_

 _"Why would he do that?" Dean asked._

 _"Wish I knew. But now we don't have a choice," other Dean said. "It's in him, and it's not getting out. And we've got to kill him, Dean. And you need to see it…the whole damn thing, how bad it gets, so you can do it different."_

 _"What do you mean?" Dean asked._

 _"Zach said he was gonna bring you back, right?" Other Dean asked._

 _"Yeah…"_

 _"Well, when you get back home…you say 'yes'," other Dean said. "You hear me? Say 'yes' to Michael."_

 _He grabbed Dean's jacket and held on like his Dean could disappear any second. Dean rubbed his back and held him closer. "I'm not saying yes to Michael," Dean whispered to him. "I'm not leaving you, ok?" He nodded and tried to relax again. "That's crazy," Dean said to the other Dean. "If I let him in, then Michael fights the devil. The battle's gonna torch half the planet."_

 _"Look around you, man. Half the planet's better than no planet, which is what we have now," other Dean said. "If I could do it over again, I'd say 'yes' in a heartbeat."_

 _"So why don't you?" Dean asked._

 _"I've tried!" Other Dean yelled. "I've shouted 'yes' till I was blue in the face! The angels aren't listening! They just…left…gave up! It's too late for me, but for you…"_

 _"Oh, no," Dean said. "There's gotta be another way…"_

 _"Yeah, that's what I thought," other Dean said. "I was cocky. Never actually thought I'd lose. But I was wrong. Dean. I was wrong. I'm begging you. Say yes." Other Dean looked at him again, not even trying to hide the anguish he was feeling. "Say yes, Dean, because the first one Lucifer kills…is Alec. And it's not quick. Our little boy suffers, and we have to watch."_

 _"You're lying," Dean said. He could barely breathe Dean was holding him so tight._

 _"Why would I lie?" Other Dean growled. "But fine, if you don't believe me, then where's my Alec? Huh? You've been all over this camp, so, where is he? He should be about 14 by now…but I don't have a teenager to look after because I lost him. I couldn't protect him, so he's dead. You say yes, you can make sure he's protected, and you can save half the planet."_

 _"Where does it happen?" Dean asked._

 _"It doesn't matter," Other Dean said. "You can't protect him forever, and the angels know that Sam and Alec are your weak spots. And when Sam says yes, Lucifer knows how to break you. So, I'm begging you to say 'yes' to Michael." Other Dean looked at him again, and now it made sense why he looked so sad when he looked at him. "But you won't," Other Dean said. "'Cause I didn't. Because that's just not us, is it?"_

* * *

 _He gasped when he and Alec fell to the floor of their motel room, their room that had been destroyed, but was now fixed. He pulled his little boy close and just held him. They were back…They were back, and they were both ok. Alec's arms wrapped around his neck, and he snuggled against him. He hated seeing Sam as the devil, but he wasn't going to let that happen._

 _He stood up with Alec still in his arms and headed for the sink. He jumped when Zachariah appeared in front of him._

 _"Oh, well, if it isn't the ghost of Christmas screw you," Dean growled._

 _"Enough. Dean, enough," Zachariah said. "You saw it, right? You saw what happens. You're the only person who can prove the devil wrong. Just say yes."_

 _"How do I know that this whole thing isn't one of your tricks? Huh? Some angel hocus-pocus?" Dean asked._

 _"The time for tricks is over. Give yourself to Michael. Say yes and we can strike. Before Lucifer gets to Sam. Before billions die…Before_ Alec _dies," Zachariah said._

 _He looked at Alec, who barely shook his head no. He couldn't lose Alec, but he couldn't say yes either. "Nah," he said._

 _"Nah? You telling me you haven't learned your lesson?" Zachariah growled._

 _"Oh, I've learned a lesson, alright," Dean said. "Just not the one you wanted to teach…"_

 _"Well, I'll just have to teach it again!" Zachariah yelled. "Because I got you now, boy, and I'm never letting you-"_

 _Suddenly the room was gone and they were on an empty street instead. "I don't like doing that…" Alec whispered._

 _He chuckled and rubbed Alec's back, "Me neither, kiddo…" He turned and saw Cas standing there, looking at them. "That's pretty nice timing, Cas," Dean said._

 _"We had an appointment," Cas said._

 _He patted Cas's shoulder and smiled, "Don't ever change."_

 _"How did Zachariah find you?" Cas asked._

 _"Long story. Let's just stay away from Jehovah's Witnesses from now on, ok?" Dean said. He maneuvered Alec to his other hip and dug out his phone._

 _"What're you doing?" Cas asked._

 _"Something I should have done in the first place," Dean muttered. "Any chance you could zap us back to my car?" he asked as he waited for Sam to answer. He jumped again when he was suddenly in the Impala again with Alec sitting on his lap._

 _"Dean?" Sam asked on the other end of the line. He looked at his phone, surprised that the call went through even though they teleported._

 _"Let's meet up," Dean said. Alec crawled off of his lap, but he didn't go too far. His pillow and blanket were still up there, so he just got situated right next to him, and then laid down with his head resting against his leg. "You ok, kiddo?"_

 _Alec nodded, but then said sleepily, "I'm just really tired…"_

 _"Ok, you just sleep, ok? We're gonna go for a ride," Dean said. He'd forgotten that this whole thing started with Alec having a seizure, which meant he probably needed to get him some milk as soon as they stopped again. It made sense that Alec was tired. They'd been going nonstop in the future, and time travel wore him out, so it had to be even more tiring for a nine-year-old boy._

 _"Dean, you still there?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah, I'm here," Dean said._

 _"You really want to meet up?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah…I do," Dean said. "I'm headin' your way now."_

 _They planned a place to meet, and then hung up. He let the feel of his car relax him as he drove and tried to come up with a way to not let the future he saw, happen. He could stick with his brother, he needed his help anyway with raising Alec, and the two of them could figure out how to stop the devil. Sam wouldn't say yes, and neither would he. As long as neither of them said yes, then Alec would be fine._

 _He ran his hand through Alec's hair as he drove, terrified that he was doing the wrong thing. Alec's life depended on him, but he couldn't say yes…_

 _At least with Sam around, maybe they could figure something out for Alec's seizures. Sam was better at research than he was, and Sam could keep a cool head about this while he couldn't. Alec was his responsibility, and just the thought of losing him was enough to make him consider saying yes to Michael. The way his future self talked about watching Alec die…he knew that's what had made him so cold. He would do anything to make sure that didn't happen._

 _"I'm gonna keep you safe, ok Alec?" Dean whispered._

 _He turned the music on softly and just ran his hand through Alec's hair as he drove. It took all night, but he made it to the road near the bridge Sam had said to meet at. He gently shook Alec's shoulder to wake him up, and after a minute Alec slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes as he sat up._

 _"C'mon kiddo, Sammy's on the way," Dean said, easily picking Alec up and getting him out of the car. "Once Sam gets here, we'll go get some food, ok? You've gotta be starving by now, huh?" Alec nodded against his shoulder, but he must have been too tired still to answer._

 _He walked around to the hood and sat down with Alec as they waited for Sam to arrive. It didn't take too long before another car was driving up, and then it stopped a few feet away from them. Sam got out, so he stood up with Alec and slowly walked towards his brother._

 _"Sam," Dean said. He pulled out Ruby's knife and held it out for his brother to take. "If you're serious and you want back in…you should hang on to this. I'm sure you're rusty…" His brother took the knife, but he still wouldn't look at him. "Look, man, I'm sorry. I don't know. I'm…whatever I need to be. But I was, uh…wrong."_

 _"What changed your mind?" Sam asked._

 _"Long story," Dean said. "The point is…maybe we are each other's Achilles heel. Maybe they'll find a way to use us against each other, I don't know. I just know we're all we've got. More than that. We keep each other human."_

 _"Thank you. Really. Thank you," Sam said. "I won't let you down."_

 _"Oh, I know it," Dean said. "I mean, you are the second-best hunter on the planet…"_

 _Sam smiled just a little bit and nodded, "So, what do we do now?"_

 _"We make our own future," Dean said._

 _"I guess we have no choice," Sam agreed._

 _"But first…we need to learn everything we can about seizures," Dean said._

 _Sam frowned, "Why?"_

 _"Because Alec gets seizures," Dean said. "Scared the shit out of me too."_

 _"Is he ok?" Sam asked in concern._

 _"He's just tired," Dean said. "Time travel and the seizure wore him out…"_

 _"We'll find something," Sam said._

 _"I know we will."_

* * *

Present

He turned his lizard on a stick over the fire, waiting for it to be done so he could finally eat it. He was starving, so he was really looking forward to eating this lizard. Sam on the other hand, looked like he wasn't going to touch his.

"C'mon Sam, you gotta eat," Dean said. "I know lizard probably isn't high on your list of things to try, but so far this is the most edible thing we've found."

"You don't know that this is edible," Sam grumbled. He took a small bite of his lizard and nodded a little bit. "No no no…don't tell me it tastes like chicken," Sam muttered.

"No, Sam, it's a lizard," Dean shot back. "It tastes like a lizard." Sam gave him a bitchface, but still wouldn't touch his. "What d'you think the boys are doin'?" Dean asked after a few minutes of silence.

Sam shrugged, "Probably trying to find where we are. I know Alec won't stop looking for us because he wouldn't stop when you and Ben went to Purgatory."

"But we've been spinning our wheels for a while looking for anything about an alternate universe…I think we're gonna have to figure this one out on our own," Dean said. "Besides, Alec was hurt…I'm just hoping he's not having seizures right now."

"Ben knows how to take care of Alec," Sam reassured. "They took care of each other the whole time you were a demon, so they know how to do this."

"I never wanted them to have to do that…" Dean muttered.

"Dean, they're gonna be ok. We'll find a way out of here, or they'll find a way to break us out," Sam said. "They're your kids, you should know how stubborn they both are."

He smiled a little and nodded, "Yeah…I think their Uncle rubbed off on them."

Sam chuckled, and then shook his head no, "I'm pretty sure that was already hardwired into their DNA from their Dad." Sam sniffed at his lizard, but then put it back down again in disgust. "Did you ever tell Alec about Heaven?"

He frowned in confusion since he didn't know why Sam was bringing this up now. He assumed Sam was talking about when Roy and Walt had killed them, and they were running from Zachariah in Heaven, but why ask him that now. "No…he didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't."

"Dean…he should know that half of your good memories were of him," Sam said. "And I'm pretty sure if we'd stayed on memory lane, we would've seen every memory you had of him even though we hadn't even had him for a year yet."

"And it was before he started calling me Dad full-time," Dean said with a small smile. He knew now that most of his memories would be with both boys and with his brother, but he knew for a fact that coming back from the dead in that motel room, and Alec calling him Dad for real for the first time, that would always be one of his favorites. It had terrified him at the time, but at the same time, he'd loved the fact that his boy was finally comfortable enough to call him Dad for real. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "I'll tell Alec once we're back in the real world again."

"Both of them should know," Sam pushed. "I know you didn't have Ben when we went to Heaven, but I know he'd make the list of good memories too."

"Yeah, they both make the list," Dean said. He took another small bite of his lizard, but then said, "You make the list too, ya know…"

Sam ducked his head as he smiled and nodded, "You make the list too. I think my list would actually be a lot different than it was last time…"

"I hope the boys are ok…" Dean whispered. "I miss 'em like crazy…"

"Do you still have those pictures Bobby took?" Sam asked.

He nodded and got his wallet out of his pocket. He got the picture out of the four of them when they'd gotten Sam's soul back and handed it to his brother. "I keep that one in my wallet, but the one of me with the boys, the one where the two of them are goofing off, and the one of me, you, and Cas are in my room back at the bunker."

"I know we always complained when Bobby got that stupid camera out, but I love having the pictures," Sam said. "I've got a few of them back in my room too."

Sam handed him his picture back, so he carefully tucked it away in his wallet with the first picture Bobby had given him, which was of him and Alec. It was the picture he'd used to show Ben that he should trust him, so he liked to keep that one with him too. "Alec loved that stupid camera," Dean said. "He always tried to talk Bobby into taking more pictures when he got the thing out."

"Ben liked to look through the boxes of pictures Bobby kept in the attic," Sam said. "He'd always sneak up there, remember?"

He chuckled, "I always freaked out when I couldn't find him right away, but then you'd always say that he was up in the attic, and he was."

"Dean, you freaked out every time they ever disappeared for more than five seconds," Sam said with a laugh. "Most of the time they were either outside playing or in the bathroom."

"Shut up," Dean grumbled, but he couldn't stop his own smile from forming. He sobered after a moment and said honestly, "I was afraid I was gonna mess them up somehow, or even worse, they'd actually disappear again. Losing Alec to Crowley…that was worse than Hell."

"Dean, you do know that you're a good Dad, right?" Sam asked.

"Sam-"

"I'm not joking Dean," Sam cut off. "You're a good Dad and the boys know it."

"I made more mistakes than I can count," Dean muttered. "They've both been on death's door…I can't keep 'em from hunting, and I definitely can't stop the seizures."

"Alec wasn't seizing when this happened," Sam pointed out to try to make one thing better. "He might be able to keep them off until we can get back to them."

"I don't know Sam…he got hurt in that fight with the angels. If Ben can't get him patched up…I don't know if he'll even still be alive when we get back," Dean said.

"You need to give your boys more credit," Sam said with a small smile. "I'm pretty sure they're going to be just fine when we get back. Hell, they're probably going to be the ones to get _us_ out of _here_."

He chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Their talk ended suddenly when something shook the ground. "We've got company…" Sam muttered.

"I guess dinner's gonna be to-go," Dean said with a smirk, grabbing his lizard on a stick and running after his brother.

* * *

 _2016_

 _To say he was bored was putting it mildly. Being in isolation for however long they had been there was torture. The only thing he had to look forward to was 'Chow time' as the guard liked to call it. He'd searched the entire cell about 5 million times, but he still couldn't find a way out. But he'd broken out of Manticore by himself, so he could break out of this place. He just had to break himself out, and his family._

 _"Chow time!" the guard yelled._

 _The slot opened up and a tray was pushed inside. He ran over before the guard could disappear and said, "Thanks, I'm starving…I'm even hungry for this slop."_

 _The guard chuckled, which meant he had something he could work with. Now he just needed a plan. He really wished he could talk to Ben. The two of them would be out of this place in three seconds flat…But he could figure this out. He had plenty of time to think about it since there was nothing to do anyway._

 _He laid on his back on the bed and tried to think about the best way he could do this. He had to make sure he could find his family once he got out of his own cell. He assumed Ben, Dad, and Uncle Sam would be in cells near his, but if they weren't then he'd have to work fast to find them. Plus, once he was out, the alarm would probably sound, which meant he had more soldiers to worry about._

 _"My son needs his pills!"_

 _He could just barely hear his Dad's voice. The slot must have opened, and he just yelled as loud as he could. He felt good knowing Dad was actually still here, but he felt bad that he didn't know that they were giving him his pills daily. He would've already had seizures if they hadn't._

 _"I'm so stupid…" he muttered. The solution was so simple, he should've thought of it ages ago._

 _He would still need to come up with a plan though, and he still wanted to try to talk to Ben, but at least he had a start of a plan now. He could do this…_

 _He waited even though he wanted to break out as soon as he thought of his plan. But he had to make friends with the guard, so he'd be concerned when he had his seizure. So, every 'chow time' he tried to talk to the guy, making him laugh every so often, and talking to him even though he never said anything back. That was ok, he could work with this._

 _"Chow time!"_

 _"Hey…" he said, letting his voice sound defeated, very unlike every other time he'd spoken to the man. He'd always made sure to sound happy and full of life, that way when he changed it up, it would be overly obvious._

 _"Kid…you ok?" the guard asked._

 _"Yeah, I'm good," Alec said. "Just tired…"_

 _The guard was quiet, but then said, "I'll see if I can get you a Jell-O or something…"_

 _He picked at his food, but he made sure to still take his pill even though he knew it would be more realistic if he didn't. But he needed to be at the top of his game if he was going to get out of this place._

 _"Here you go kid," the guard said, pushing a Jell-O cup through the slot._

 _"I'm not very hungry…" Alec muttered. He pushed the still full tray of food back through the slot._

 _"You need to eat kid," the guard said. "Your Dad's told every guard in this place that we need to make sure you eat, otherwise you're going to get sick or something."_

 _"I get seizures," Alec said honestly. "But I took my pill, so I'll be ok."_

 _"Alright, but I'm going to check on you again in a few hours," the guard said._

 _"Ok…"_

 _He grabbed the blanket from the bed, and then curled up in the corner. He pretended to sleep even though it was super uncomfortable to sit in the corner like this. But he figured he'd look more pathetic this way when the guard checked on him._

 _He heard the slot open, and then the guard asked, "Kid, you doing ok?"_

 _He startled awake, but then slowly nodded, "Yeah…I'm alright…"_

 _"Do you need another pill?" the guard asked._

 _"Yeah," Alec whispered._

 _"Alright, hang in there," the guard said. "I'll be right back." He stayed where he was, and he refused to move even when the guard opened the slot again. "C'mon kid, you need to come take your pill."_

 _He slowly moved, and then took the little cup the guard was holding. He tossed back the pill before he handed the little cup back. "Thanks…"_

 _"Will that help?" the guard asked._

 _"It should," Alec said._

 _The guard was quiet for a minute, but then said, "Move to the bed, ok kid?"_

 _He nodded and slowly moved over to the bed to lay down. He heard the slot slide closed again, so he let himself drift off for real. He had to keep up the act anyway, so it'd be good to take a little nap._

* * *

 _He hated being stuck here, but he hated even more that he didn't know how his boys were doing, or how his brother was doing. Alec could be having seizures for all he knew even though he'd shouted it to anyone who would come near his door that his son needed pills. But it'd been at least six weeks, so he really hoped they'd at least given Alec and Ben their pills._

 _He jumped when the slot suddenly opened, but a tray wasn't shoved inside. He frowned and slowly got up from his bed._

 _"Your kid's sick," the guard said once he was crouched down in front of the slot. "What do you give him when the pills don't work?"_

 _"What? Which one?" Dean asked, feeling his heart stutter in panic as his worst fear was confirmed._

 _"I don't know their names," the guard said. "But he's funny, smiles a lot, always hungry…"_

 _Alec. He knew it would probably be Alec who started to get seizures while they were in here, but he had to be sure. "Has he been getting his pills?" Dean said._

 _"Yeah, and I give him two whenever I can," the guard said. "But he won't eat, and he barely talks to me anymore. Used to, he wouldn't stop talking as soon as the slot was opened."_

 _"Can I see him?" Dean asked even though he thought it was pointless._

 _"I'm not even supposed to talk to you," the guard said. "I could lose my job if I let you see him."_

 _"How long's he been like this?" Dean asked, trying to figure out how soon Alec's seizures were going to start._

 _"It's been almost a week," the guard said._

 _He frowned, somewhat in concern and somewhat in confusion. If Alec had been acting like that for a week, then he should've already either been seizing or getting better. "That's a long time," Dean said, going with concern._

 _The guard took a deep breath, and then said, "Alright, but we've gotta move fast."_

 _His eyes widened in shock when the man actually unlocked his cell door and let him out, not even bothering to cuff him. He thought about taking his chance and getting them all out of here, but Alec was sick, and this was his chance to check on him._

 _He followed the guard to the cell next to his and had to wait for what felt like an eternity before his son's door was unlocked. "Just a couple minutes, ok?" the guard whispered._

 _He nodded, and then ran into the tiny cell. His son was curled up on the bed, snuggled under a blanket, but he didn't wake up when he came in. He forced himself to slow down since he was just going to freak Alec out if he kept up his panic for much longer. He sat down next to Alec's hip and very gently shook Alec's shoulder. "C'mon kiddo, it's me," Dean whispered. He put the back of his hand against Alec's cheek, but he didn't feel any warmer than usual. "Alec, you gotta wake up…I only have a couple minutes here…"_

 _"Dad?" Alec asked sleepily._

 _"Hey kiddo," Dean said with a small smile. It was so good to hear his son's voice again, even under these circumstances. He'd missed his boys so much these last 16 weeks, and he'd wished every day that they would've listened to him and ran when he'd told them to. But they refused to leave him and Sam, which put all of them in the same crappy situation._

 _Alec turned slightly towards him, away from the wall, and then just barely winked at him. Ok, so, either his son was faking or that was his was of reassuring him that he was ok. "How're you feeling?" Dean asked, brushing Alec's hair back, trying to figure out if he really was sick or not._

 _"Just tired," Alec whispered._

 _"Do you have a doctor in this place?" Dean asked the guard. "He's hardly got any color and his temp's high…" Alec's temperature was actually normal for him, but technically high for a normal human kid. If he and Alec could get out of their cells, then they'd have a pretty good chance of making a move, and then coming back to get Sam and Ben before they broke out of this place for real. He just hoped Alec was actually faking being sick…_

 _"We do but I'm not supposed to bring prisoners there…" the guard said. "The doctor is supposed to be brought here."_

 _"He's sick…he has to see a doctor now," Dean said. "He could have a seizure any minute."_

 _And that was Alec's cue. His son immediately went into a seizure, so he quickly got him on his side even though he knew he was faking. But Alec had always been the dramatic one in the family, so he put on a good show for the guard. He had to force himself to not smile when his son let out a pitiful whimper once he was done with his little act._

 _"You're ok," Dean softly reassured before he turned to the guard and said, "He needs to see a doctor! Now!"_

 _"Ok, ok…can he walk?" the guard asked._

 _"No, but I can carry him," Dean said, scooping Alec up, his arms under his son's shoulders and knees. He nearly smirked when Alec shot him a quick glare, but this was his son's plan, so he should've known this was going to happen._

 _"Alright, we've gotta go quick," the guard said._

 _He followed the guard with Alec in his arms even though his kid was getting kind of heavy. Alec was being overly dramatic again and refused to even help him out a little. His son could've put his arms around his neck, but instead he let one arm hang down limply like he was mostly unconscious. And every so often he would make his feet sway just to annoy him. But he wasn't too annoyed since he'd really missed this. Alec could always turn a crap situation into something to smile about._

 _He brought Alec into what much have been the Infirmary, and carefully laid him on the closest bed. He wasn't sure what Alec's plan was, but he'd let him call the shots._

 _He was surprised that Alec allowed the doctor to hook him up to all kinds of machines including a heart monitor, IV, nasal cannula, and a few machines that he didn't know what they did. Alec looked at him once he was all set up, and then looked to see where the guard was at. The guard was at the door, trying to give them some privacy, but still watching them. This was going to be the best chance that they could get, and even though he didn't want to take the guy out since he'd helped them, they couldn't pass up this chance._

 _He looked to Alec again, who nodded back. His son looked to the doctor, which meant he was going to take out the doctor while he had to take out the guard._

 _The doctor walked over to Alec again, but his son suddenly rolled off the bed and used the heart monitor wires to wrap around the man's neck._

 _He ran over to the guard before he could pull his gun, or even get on the radio, and punched him out with one punch. He grabbed the man's radio, keys, and his gun and muttered, "Sorry," before he looked back to Alec._

 _"Give me your phone," Alec growled. The doctor reached a shaking hand into his lab coat pocket and handed Alec his phone. "Where are we?" Alec asked._

 _"I-I don't know," the doctor stuttered._

 _"Answer him," Dean growled, catching the phone that Alec tossed to him._

 _"Seriously," the doctor said. "They blindfold me every day before they bring me to work. I…This place. It's not supposed to exist."_

 _"Alright…knock him out," Dean said. The man crumbled when Alec knocked him in the temple with his elbow, and then his son unhooked the rest of the equipment that had remained connected to him. "You ok?"_

 _Alec gave him a huge smile, "My plan's working!"_

 _He chuckled, and then reached over to mess up Alec's hair. "Let's go get Uncle Sam and Ben, and then get the Hell outta dodge."_

* * *

 _He knew Alec was out of his cell as soon as they came to get him for his shower. The cell door next to his was open a crack, which meant his brother had a plan, and it was already in action. He knew a cracked door probably shouldn't mean that his brother was working on something, but every other time he'd been brought out for a shower, every door had been locked up tight. Alec had a plan, which meant he had to do something to help._

 _Only one guard escorted him for a shower since he was only 16 and the guards were convinced he and his brother were completely human. They definitely underestimated them because of it, but that was fine with him. It would make this whole thing a lot easier. Plus, his hands were cuffed in front of him and they hadn't even bothered to cuff his legs. Idiots._

 _He acted before they were clear of the cell doors, ramming his elbow into his guard's temple, dropping him instantly. He grabbed the man's keys from his belt and ran over to the closest cell. He opened the slot to see who was in there, but the cell was empty. He didn't go to the one that was cracked open because he knew that one would be empty too._

 _He moved on to the last one and breathed out in relief when he saw Uncle Sam in there._

 _"Ben?!" Uncle Sam asked in surprise. He quickly unlocked the door, and then he was wrapped up in his Uncle's arms. "Ben, you ok? What's going on?"_

 _"Usually there are two guards down here when they take me for my shower," Ben said. "But this time there was only one and one of the cells were open a little bit, so I think Alec's got a plan for an escape."_

 _"You think he's out already?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"Yeah, and one of the other cells were empty too, so I think maybe Dad's out too," Ben said._

 _"Ok," Uncle Sam said, quickly getting the cuffs off of him. "What would Alec's plan be?"_

 _He thought for a minute, but then said, "He'd probably make friends with the guard. They underestimate us since they think we're completely human, and I think they feel bad since we're 16 and they think we're too young to be here, so it'd be pretty easy for him to make friends with someone."_

 _"Especially since he's Alec and he makes friends with everyone," Uncle Sam agreed._

 _"I just don't know where he'd have the guy take him…and with Dad…" Ben muttered. He looked up in surprise when it suddenly hit him, "Dad's been telling everyone that we need to take our pills. Alec probably heard him and decided to play sick, which would mean they're probably in an Infirmary…"_

 _"Ok, let's get what we can from the guard, and then go find them," Uncle Sam said._

 _They grabbed the guard's radio and gun, but they both went on high alert when they heard footsteps running their way. Uncle Sam drew the gun and pointed it in the direction of the footsteps, but they both breathed out in relief when it was Alec and Dad that appeared._

 _He ran over to his brother and practically slammed into him to hug him. They'd been apart for way too long and he didn't like it. He hated being alone, and he knew Alec hated it even more._

 _"How'd you get out?" Alec asked._

 _"Shower time," Ben said simply._

 _Alec nodded, and then said with a wide smile, "Faked a seizure."_

 _"Nice," Ben said, matching his brother's smile. Alec liked to pretend that he was only good at fighting, but he was good at so many other things, especially when it came to getting them out of sticky situations. He always knew that as long as Alec was with him, they could get out of anything, they could make it through anything. He and Alec were a team, just like Uncle Sam and Dad were a team. He had no doubt in his mind that they could defeat the devil as long as their family was altogether._

 _Dad suddenly wrapped him up in a hug, and Uncle Sam came over to hug Alec. "We've gotta get outta here before someone notices," Dad said._

 _"Any chance you got a phone?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _Dad held up a phone and shot a proud smile over at Alec, "Someone had a good plan."_

 _Alec ducked his head in embarrassment, but he could tell the praise meant a lot to his brother._

 _Dad and Uncle Sam led the way to a door that was marked 'RESTRICTED AREA, AUTHORIZED PERSONS ONLY', and then they were almost out._

* * *

 _"It's clear," Sam said as soon as he was outside._

 _He opened the door the rest of the way so the boys could get out, ignoring their eye rolls and the grumbling he could hear about how they weren't babies. He ignored them for now and tried to call Cas again, but so far he'd only gotten his voice mail._

 _"Hey, should we take it?" Sam asked pointing to one of the van's there were parked._

 _"No, it's probably got lojack," Dean said. The boys went over to their Uncle to try to find something useful in the van while he tried Cas again. "Come on, Cas…"_

 _"Got a map," Sam said, holding up the paper mad he'd found in the glovebox._

 _"What?" Cas's voice finally said on the other end of the line._

 _"Cas," Dean said._

 _"Dean?" Cas immediately cut off._

 _"Hey buddy. Long time," Dean said with a smile._

 _"What…what happened?" Cas asked. "Wh-where are you?"_

 _"You wouldn't believe me, and I have no clue."_

 _"Got something," Sam said, walking over to him with the map. "Alright, looks like that's Elk Mountain, which makes that Long's Peak."_

 _"Ok, looks like we're in Colorado," Dean said to Cas._

 _"In Rocky Mountain National Park. Uh, if we head north we should hit State Route 34. Eventually," Sam said._

 _"Did you get that?" Dean asked._

 _"Yes," Cas said._

 _"Alright, meet us there," Dean said._

 _"Wait, where?" Cas asked before he could hang up. They needed to start moving before everyone knew they were on the run. They could still have a pretty good head start if they left now, even though they'd be on foot while they others would probably have some form of faster transportation._

 _"Just drive along the road and you'll see us," Dean said before he hung up on his friend._

 _"They'll track the phone," Sam said when he started to put it in his pocket._

 _"Right," Dean said with a sigh. He threw the phone in the van, and then said, "C'mon boys. Time to run."_

* * *

 _More soon..._


	15. Chapter 15

_Sorry for the long wait, but here is the next chapter. This is a very long chapter, but it is the entire episode for the French Mistake, so hope you all like it!_

* * *

Chapter 15

 _2011_

 _"Where's Bobby?" Sam asked as he walked into the room._

 _Dean barely looked up; he was more concerned about his boys who were both snuggled up against either side of him, fast asleep. He'd argued with Alec for an hour that it was time for bed, and he'd finally got the boys in bed before the storm started. He actually didn't know his boys were afraid of storms until both of them came running down the stairs, trying to hold off tears. He held them until they finally fell asleep, and thankfully, they were still asleep._

 _"In town, supply run," Dean said as he carefully turned the page in his Dad's journal._

 _"In this?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah, man's a hero," Dean said. He pointed to the empty liquor bottle that was on the table. "We were officially out of hunter's helper."_

 _Sam nodded, and then looked at the twins, "I thought you were going to put them in bed…"_

 _"They're afraid of storms," Dean said. "They couldn't sleep unless they stayed with me."_

 _He and Sam jumped at the same time as Balthazar appeared out of thin air, "Hello, boys. You've seen 'The Godfather', right?"_

 _"Balthazar…" Dean muttered. He carefully untangled himself from his boys, but they refused to let go. He gestured for Sam to help him out, and his brother picked up Ben while he held Alec and stood up._

 _"You know, the end, where Michael Corleone sends his men to kill his enemies in one big, bloody swoop?" Balthazar asked, ignoring him and walking behind Bobby's desk. He grabbed a container of salt and poured it into a bowl that was sitting there._

 _"Hey!" Dean snapped, trying to get the angel's attention. He didn't know what Balthazar was doing, but he didn't care. His boys needed their sleep and this guy was going to ruin that._

 _Balthazar dumped something else in the bowl and said, "Dead Sea brine…good, good, good…You know, Moe Greene gets it in the eye, and Don Cuneo gets it in the revolving door?"_

 _"I said hey," Dean growled. Alec wiggled against him, and he knew he didn't have much time left before his little boy woke up. Even though he had just gotten over the seizures, he still tried to act like he was fine and would try to stay awake for as long as he could._

 _"You did. Twice. Good for you," Balthazar said, looking up at him briefly before he walked away. He followed the angel into Bobby's kitchen and watched as he started looking through Bobby's fridge. "Blood of lamb. Blood of lamb…Beer, cold pizza. Blood of lamb. Yes! Blood of lamb!" He pulled a jar out of the fridge and ran back over to Bobby's desk._

 _"Why are you talking about 'The Godfather'?" Sam asked._

 _"Because we're in it," Balthazar said. "Right now, tonight. And in the role of Michael Corleone-the archangel Raphael."_

 _"You mind telling us what you mean?" Dean asked. Alec wiggled against him again, signaling that he really was waking up._

 _"Dad?" Alec asked sleepily._

 _"Hey kiddo," Dean whispered._

 _"What's going on?" Alec asked._

 _"Balthazar's gone nuts and Bobby's gonna be pissed," Dean said. He wanted to tell Alec to go back to sleep, but it was probably better if Alec was awake right now._

 _"No, no, no. No, no, no, no…" Balthazar muttered as he dumped one of Bobby's desk drawers. "Yes!" Balthazar said, holding something up. "Bone of a lesser saint. This vertebra will do very nicely. Your Mr. Singer does keep a beautiful pantry."_

 _"Wait, you said Raphael is after you?" Dean asked._

 _"Raphael is after us all," Balthazar said. "You see, he's consolidated his strength. And now he's on the move."_

 _"And where's Cas?" Sam asked. Ben was awake now too, but he still looked too sleepy to do much._

 _"Oh, Cassie? He is deep, deep underground. So, good old Raffy put out a hit list on every last Samaritan who helped out dear Cas- including all of you. And so much more importantly, me," Balthazar said. "See, he wants to draw Cas out in the open."_

 _"And you expect us to believe you?" Sam asked._

 _"Oh, don't," Balthazar said with a shrug. "You'll go where I throw you either way."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked. He didn't like the sound of any of this, and he wanted Balthazar to leave. If Raphael was after Balthazar, then he needed to get lost. Alec shook as lightning suddenly flashed, and he hid against his neck. He rubbed his little boy's back as he debated about the best way to get rid of Balthazar, but the angel beat him to it._

 _"That's all the time we have, gentlemen," Balthazar said. He opened his jacket and searched the inside pocket, but his gaze caught on the blood staining his side. "Where is it?"_

 _"Whoa. What happened there?" Dean asked._

 _"Oh. Garish, I know. You see, uncle Raffy sent one of his nastiest to handle me," Balthazar said. "I'm flattered, actually. And down a lung at the moment, but that's alright…" He handed Sam keys and said, "Oh, here's for you."_

 _"What am I supposed to do with this?" Sam asked._

 _"Run with it," Balthazar unhelpfully suggested. He and Sam both jumped when Balthazar was suddenly thrown across the room and another man appeared. "Virgil," Balthazar said, obviously recognizing the other man. Balthazar looked at them and said, "I said, run!" He threw out his hand and his feet left the floor._

 _He covered Alec's head as they were thrown through the window that Balthazar had marked with a sigil. He was expecting a hard landing out in the storm, but he landed on something soft and slightly bouncy. He looked over to see if Sam was next to him, and his brother gave him a confused look as he still covered Ben's head._

 _"Cut!"_

 _He and Sam scrambled to their feet and looked around, but that didn't make anything any clearer. They were in some building with tons of people walking around. It looked like they were still somewhat in Bobby's house, but the rest of the building definitely did not look like Bobby's._

 _Someone suddenly slapped his ass, making him jump. "Real good solid fall. Way to go," the man said._

 _"Jared, Jensen! Outstanding! That was just great," a man who was slightly bigger with a bushy moustache said._

 _Someone else walked in front of them and said, "'Supernatural', scene one echo, take one. Tail slate. Marker!"_

 _Sam looked at him and asked, "So…no angels?"_

 _"No angels…I think," Dean replied._

 _"Dad, what's going on?" Alec whispered._

 _"Aiden, Cayden, you boys good?" The moustache man asked._

 _"I don't know kiddo," Dean whispered back._

 _"Should we be killing anybody?" Sam asked._

 _"I don't think so," Dean muttered, looking around. There were a lot of people around that he didn't recognize, but no one looked like they were going to hurt them._

 _"Running?" Sam asked._

 _"Where?" Dean asked back._

 _A man was suddenly in his line of sight, but he was looking at Alec. "Cayden, you ok?" the man asked._

 _"Are you talking to me?" Alec asked._

 _The man gave him a small smile, "Yeah kiddo, gotta make sure you're ok after the stunt."_

 _"I'm fine," Alec grumbled._

 _The man looked at someone else and nodded before he looked back at the moustache man. "The boys are good."_

 _"Ok, Morgan, your boys are good," Moustache said. "That's a wrap on Jared, Jensen, Aiden, and Cayden! Moving on!"_

 _A woman with blonde hair and a nice smile walked over and reached for Alec. "C'mon baby, let's get you and your brother cleaned up."_

 _He pulled Alec out of her reach and said, "What do you think you're doing?"_

 _The woman smiled, "Very funny, Jensen."_

 _"Morgan, can you take Aiden?" Another woman asked, who was standing next to Sam and Ben. "I'm going to steal Jared for a few minutes for an interview."_

 _"Jensen, can you take Cayden with you to makeup? If those contacts stay in much longer, his eyes are going to hurt the rest of the day," Morgan said._

 _"What?" Dean asked, but Morgan was already walking over to Sam and Ben. She took Ben while another woman drug Sam away, and he ran after his little boy._

 _"Jensen, there you are," another woman said, walking up to him. "Let's just get you in the chair."_

 _He was led to sit down in a chair and Morgan sat Ben in the chair next to him. He tipped Alec's chin up and said, "Look up for a second…" Alec did as he asked, and he scowled when he saw that his little boy was wearing contacts. Alec didn't need contacts, he had perfect vision._

 _"Ok, hon, we're just gonna get this makeup off your face," the woman said. "And Cayden, I'll get those contacts out as soon as I get Jensen cleaned up."_

 _"I'm not wearing any ma-" Dean started, but the woman wiped his face off with a wet cloth, and his eyes widened when he saw that he was indeed wearing makeup. "Oh crap! I'm a painted whore!"_

 _Alec giggled, but then Morgan said, "Jensen, not in front of the boys."_

 _"Ok Cayden, look up and I'll get those contacts out for you," the woman said._

 _"Play along," Dean whispered. Alec looked up and let the woman take out the contacts. His eyes widened in shock when he saw that his son's bright green eyes were actually blue, and he was wearing colored contacts. "Holy crap…"_

 _Alec looked at him in alarm, but let the lady take out the other contact. What the Hell was going on?_

* * *

 _"Hey," Sam said as he caught up to them again._

 _It turned out, Morgan was actually supposed to be Aiden and Cayden's Mom, but he'd managed to convince her that the boys should stick with him for a while. He'd promised to take care of them, which was ridiculous since they were_ his _sons and it was his job to watch out for them, but she'd agreed and let Alec and Ben go with him. Now, he was walking across the lot, holding both boys' hands to make sure they stayed close. Alec was prone to wandering off whenever he saw something interesting, so he needed to keep a close eye on him. He didn't know what this was, but they were going to stick together._

 _"Dude, they put freakin' makeup on us! Those bastards!" Dean growled. "And look at my boys! Their eyes are freakin' blue! They had them wearing colored contacts!"_

 _Sam did a double take when he saw Ben and Alec. "Holy crap…they look weird with blue eyes…"_

 _"Thanks a lot, Uncle Sam," Alec grumbled._

 _"It's not bad, it's just weird," Sam amended._

 _"I don't like it," Dean said. "And their names are Aiden and Cayden and they aren't even my boys!"_

 _"Look, I think I know what this is," Sam said._

 _"Ok…what?" Dean asked._

 _"It's a tv show," Sam said._

 _"You think?" Dean countered._

 _"Yeah," Sam said. "I mean, here…wherever 'here' is, this-this twilight zone Balthazar zapped us into. For whatever reason, our life is a TV show."_

 _"Why?" Dean asked._

 _"I don't know," Sam said with a shrug._

 _"No, seriously. Why?" Dean asked. "Why would anybody want to watch our lives?"_

 _"Because we're adorable…" Alec said under his breath._

 _"Well, I mean, according to that interviewer, not very many people do," Sam said. "Look, I'm not saying it makes sense. I'm just saying, we- we landed in some dimension where you're Jensen Ackles, the boys are Aiden and Cayden Johnson, and I'm something called a 'Jared Padalecki'."_

 _"So what, now you're polish?" Dean asked. "Is any of this making any sense to you?"_

 _"No…I'm still weirded out that the boys have blue eyes," Sam muttered._

 _"You're weirded out? Sam, they're my boys and they aren't even mine in this stupid place," Dean grumbled. "I feel like this whole place is bad-touching me…"_

 _"Yeah, I know. Me too," Sam said. "So, what do you think? Cas?"_

 _"He's our best shot," Dean said with a nod. "If he's still alive…" He took a deep breath and gave it his best shot, "Dear Castiel, who art maybe running his ass away from heaven, we pray that you have your ears on. So…breaker breaker…"_

 _Alec giggled, but then Ben tugged on his arm and pointed. "Dad, it's Castiel."_

 _He picked Ben up while Sam picked up Alec and they ran over to Cas. "Cas? Cas!" Dean said once they were close enough. Cas turned to face him, making him breathe out in relief. "Hey, Cas! Oh, thank God. What is all this, huh? What did Balthazar do to us?"_

 _Cas frowned, but then said, "To keep you out of Virgil's reach, he's cast you into an alternate reality, a universe similar to ours in most respects yet dramatically different in others."_

 _"Like- like Bizarro Earth, right? Except instead of having Bizarro Superman, we get this clown factory," Dean said._

 _"Um…Yeah, well…Anyway, no time to explain. Do you have the key?" Cas asked._

 _Sam shifted Alec and pulled the key out of his pocket, "Yeah…" He passed the key over to Cas and asked, "So, uh, what does this thing do, anyway?"_

 _"It opens a room," Cas said._

 _"What's in the room?" Dean asked._

 _"Every weapon Balthazar stole from heaven," Cas said._

 _"He gave it to us?" Dean asked in surprise. He knew they were probably the last people who should have access to this, but there was probably no one else left._

 _"To keep it safe until I could reach you," Cas said. "With those weapons, I have a chance to rally my forces."_

 _"Oh. Ok, good," Sam said. "Yeah. So, now, uh, what's the deal with all this tv crap?"_

 _Cas gave them a weird look, "Pardon?"_

 _"Yeah. Amen, Padaleski," Dean said, hitting his brother's arm._

 _"Uh, 'lecki'," Sam corrected._

 _"What?" Dean asked with a frown._

 _"I think his name is Padalecki," Ben whispered._

 _"Lecki. Pretty sure," Sam said. Alec giggled and shook his head in amusement._

 _"Man…" Cas said, his voice weirdly higher than usual as he pulled papers out of his pocket. "Did they put out new pages?"_

 _"New what?" Dean asked._

 _"I mean, is this some kind of cosmic joke?" Sam asked, ignoring Cas's weird behavior._

 _"Yeah, 'cause if it is, it's stupid, and we don't get it," Dean said. "How are the boys not my boys? They look just like me! How the Hell did they find twins who look just like me and somehow aren't related to me?"_

 _"Yeah," Sam agreed._

 _"Are you guys ok?" Cas asked. "And where's Morgan? I thought the boys had homework after the shoot…"_

 _He reached out and snagged the papers out of Cas's hands, "Give me that. What is- these are words in a script. This isn't Cas."_

 _Ben reached for the papers and he gave them to his boy._

 _"Dude, look at him," Sam said._

 _"Cas is taking off his clothes," Alec said. "It's very un-Cas-like…" They looked and saw that Cas was taking off his tie, which was pretty weird for him._

 _"You guys want to run lines, or…?" Cas said, trailing off._

 _"His name's Misha," Dean said in disgust, looking at the script that Ben was holding. "Misha?"_

 _"Oh, wow. Just…great…" Sam muttered. He turned away from fake Cas and started walking in the opposite direction while Dean followed him._

 _"Misha? Jensen? What's up with the names around here?" Dean asked._

 _"You guys!" Cas…or Misha called after them. "You really punked me! I'm totally gonna tweet this one!"_

 _"What does tweet mean?" Alec instantly asked._

 _"I don't know," Sam said. "Maybe it's an alternate universe kind of thing."_

 _"I just want to dig my finger in my brain and scratch until we're back in Kansas…" Dean muttered._

 _They walked down the lot until Sam stopped by a trailer. "Hey. 'J. Ackles'."_

 _"That's fake me!" Dean said with excitement._

 _"Yeah…"_

 _"This must be fake mine," Dean said with a smile. He opened the door, but nearly stopped when he saw the inside. He had way more money in this universe, that much was certain. If the boys were his, then he might actually consider staying here. But he couldn't stay where his boys weren't actually his. "Dude, I have a helicopter!"_

 _"Dad, can we go fly it?" Alec asked, wiggling to get free from Sam's arms. Sam reluctantly let him go even though he was pretty sure Alec was going to break something._

 _"No," Dean automatically replied. They needed to get back to their universe, not mess around. Even though he wanted to fly it too…_

 _"Oh. Alright, who puts a 300-gallon aquarium in their trailer?" Sam asked._

 _"Cool!" Ben exclaimed. Sam picked Ben up so he could get a better look at the aquarium while he kept an eye on Alec. His little boy ran over to the TV and immediately started pushing buttons and opening cabinets._

 _"Dad! Look! You have video games!" Alec said in excitement._

 _"Alec, don't break anything," Dean said._

 _"Can I play one of them?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah, just don't get everything out," Dean said._

 _"Ben, go play one of the games with Alec," Sam said. Ben ran over to the sofa and sat next to Alec and grabbed one of the controllers._

 _"Don't like this universe, Sammy. We need to get out of this universe…" Dean muttered as Sam walked back over to him. He showed his brother a magazine that he found on the table with the four of them looking like a bunch of male-models. Even his boys looked like male-models, and that just made him sick._

 _"Yeah. No argument here. But I don't think our- our prayers are reaching Cas," Sam said. "Or the real Cas."_

 _"Well, I agree," Dean said. "I think we are definitely out of, uh, soul-phone range. But…"_

 _"What?" Sam asked when he trailed off._

 _"If we can reverse Balthazar's spell…" He flipped the magazine over and drew the sigil that Balthazar had put on the window. "I watched every move. We just, uh, get the ingredients, right, get back to that same window, and…There's no place like home."_

 _"Should we just leave the boys here while we go get the ingredients?" Sam asked. The twins were completely focused on the game they were playing, so they probably wouldn't even notice if they ran to get the ingredients really quick, and then came back._

 _"I don't think we should split up…" Dean said._

 _"If we go back to set, how likely is it that their Mom is still hanging around?" Sam asked. "What if she wants to take them home or something?"_

 _"That would be a problem…" Dean muttered. "But what if they get bored and start wandering around set?"_

 _"Dean, they're playing a video game," Sam said. "There's no way they're going anywhere. Alec never gets to play video games, so this will keep his attention until we get back."_

 _"Ok…let's just go and get back as soon as possible," Dean said. He walked over to the boys and crouched down in front of them. He had to actually pull the controller out of Alec's hand so he would pay attention to him. "Me and Uncle Sammy are gonna go look for some ingredients. You two stay here, ok? Do not leave this trailer."_

 _"Ok," Ben said._

 _"Alec," Dean said, needing his boy to actually respond to him so he knew he was listening._

 _"Ok," Alec said impatiently, reaching for the controller._

 _"I mean it, Alec. Stay. Here," Dean said._

 _"Ok," Alec said again._

 _He stood up and kissed the top of both boys' heads before he and Sam left the trailer._

* * *

 _He was kicking Ben's butt at the game they were playing. This universe was weird, but this was the first time he'd been allowed to play a video game in a long time. They were dirt poor back in the real world, and he knew his Dad worried about money. But they didn't need to worry about money here, or things trying to kill them every other day. It was kind of great, except Dad wasn't their Dad here, and he didn't like that. Dean was his Dad, and nothing was going to change that._

 _"Alec, we're supposed to be on the same team," Ben complained. "If you keep shooting me, we're gonna lose…"_

 _"Relax," Alec muttered. "We'll just play again."_

 _"I want to get to the next level," Ben said._

 _"Too bad…"_

 _They both jumped when someone suddenly knocked on the trailer door. "Boys, if you're in there, it's time to go," a woman said from the other side of the door. He got up and silently walked over to turn off the tv. "Jensen, the boys need to go home. They have homework and they need to eat a real dinner before bed," the woman continued._

 _No way was he doing any of that. He looked to Ben and his brother nodded back. They silently walked to another room in the trailer. It looked like a bedroom, but it didn't matter because it had what they needed- another window on the other side of the trailer._

 _"Dad's going to be really mad that we left…" Ben muttered as they gracefully left the trailer._

 _"We'll find him and Uncle Sam, and he'll understand why we had to go," Alec said. "He would be even more mad if we left with that woman and he couldn't find us."_

 _"He still won't be able to find us…" Ben worried._

 _"Which is why we're going to find him," Alec said like it was obvious._

 _"Where do you think he went?" Ben asked._

 _He looked around the lot; there really wasn't anything here but a bunch of buildings. Dad and Uncle Sam could be anywhere, and he had no idea where to start. He couldn't even tell where they had been earlier. He and Ben had an impeccable sense of direction, but this place had nothing that he could remember._

 _"Hey, isn't that Dad's car?" Ben asked, squinting to see something far away._

 _He squinted too and smiled when he saw Dad's car in the distance. "We can go over there and wait for him," Alec said. "Dad will figure out that's where we went once he sees it too."_

 _Ben nodded his agreement, so they took off for the Impala._

* * *

 _"Now what do we do?" Dean asked, frustrated. Everything on set was fake; how were they going to get back to the real world when they didn't have any ingredients? They were going to be stuck here and the boys were going to get taken away form him._

 _"We'll just have to go round up the real things somehow," Sam said. "We should just go get the boys, and then we'll figure out what to do."_

 _"The boys who aren't my boys in this world," Dean reminded. "If we take them somewhere without telling anyone, we'll be kidnapping them. The police will be called, we'll get arrested, and the boys will be taken away from me."_

 _"Shit…" Sam breathed. "Ok…what if we just ask that woman if we can watch the boys tonight- or, better yet, we should have Alec ask her, so it doesn't sound as creepy."_

 _"That's good," Dean said, brightening a little now that they had at least a small plan. "Let's go get them, and then maybe we can casually run into-"_

 _"Jensen?" A woman asked as they got closer to his trailer. He had to think a minute before he figured out that it was Morgan, the woman who was his boys' real Mom in this universe. "What- I thought you were in your trailer…"_

 _"Um, I had to go to the set for something real quick…" Dean said, hoping that sounded plausible._

 _"Are the boys still in your trailer?" Morgan asked, her voice starting to edge towards hysteria. "They aren't answering!"_

 _His own heart seemed to flip in his chest, but Sam beat him to the door. His brother busted into the trailer, and he quickly followed. He didn't know if he should start to panic or if it was a good thing that his boys were gone. He and Sam shared a looked, and he knew he was thinking the same thing. Maybe the boys left once they heard Morgan. Maybe they didn't need to panic just yet…except, his boys were still missing._

 _"Where are they?!" Morgan yelled._

 _The game they had been playing was off, so it could have been a while since they'd taken off. They could be anywhere._

 _"Morgan, try to stay calm," Sam soothed. "They're probably just playing some game they've made up."_

 _"You two were supposed to be watching them," Morgan growled, advancing towards Sam and poking him in the chest._

 _"They're ten, it's not like they can't stay by themselves for a little while," Dean muttered under his breath._

 _"We need to find them," Morgan said. "Aiden's going to have an asthma attack if he and Cayden are playing."_

 _"Be- um, Aiden has asthma?" Dean asked in concern. He had to remind himself that his Ben didn't have asthma, but both of his boys got seizures. He needed to find them and find some milk or tryptophan so they didn't get a seizure out here. Alec really needed some tryptophan; he'd just gotten back to normal and going this long without something was definitely going to hurt him._

 _Morgan frowned at him and said, "Yeah…you have one of his inhalers in here somewhere and you always keep one in your pocket just in case he has an attack while he's on set…"_

 _He reached into his pocket and his eyes widened when he found an inhaler in there. He looked up at Sam in alarm and motioned that he needed to talk to him. Sam nodded his understanding, "Morgan, we'll go find them. They probably just went to set to check something out."_

 _"Call me as soon as you find them," Morgan said._

 _They both nodded and quickly left the trailer. He turned to Sam as soon as they were out of earshot and asked, "What if he really has asthma in this world?"_

 _"What? Why would he?" Sam asked back._

 _He pulled out the inhaler and showed it to his brother, "And because the boys have blue eyes in this world and I was wearing freakin' makeup. He could have asthma and he wouldn't even know it."_

 _Sam was completely still for just a minute before he took off. He ran after his brother, hoping he had an idea where his boys were. They both stopped though after a few feet and looked around. He looked to the right and breathed out in relief when he saw the Impala. He smacked Sam and pointed, "That's where they are."_

 _"How do you know?" Sam asked._

 _"That's my car, Sammy," Dean said. "And the boys know that's my car. That's the one familiar thing here, and they know if I saw that, then that's where I'd go."_

 _"I swear, I'm way outnumbered now…" Sam muttered. "There are three Deans and only one Sam…"_

 _"Shut up," Dean grumbled, trying to hide his smile. He loved his boys so much, and he knew Sam loved them too even if he complained that he was outnumbered every once in a while._

 _They ran to the Impala and it was the greatest thing in the whole world when his boys jumped out of the backseat and ran towards him. They slammed against him and he held them close, feeling like they hadn't seen each other in years instead of just minutes. But they were in a strange, new place, and he could have lost them._

 _"Dad, that lady came looking for us, so we had to take off," Alec explained, his voiced muffled against him._

 _"We didn't want to go with her," Ben whispered._

 _"I know," Dean reassured. "I'm not mad. I was just worried."_

 _"Did you find a way back home?" Alec asked._

 _He took a deep breath and let it back out, "Not yet. Everything on the set was fake…"_

 _"So, how are we going to get back?" Ben asked._

 _"I'm still working on that, buddy," Dean said. He pulled back from his boys slightly, but he kept his hands on their shoulders to make sure they wouldn't disappear. He focused on Ben after a moment and asked, "How's your breathing? Do you feel ok?"_

 _Ben frowned instead of just nodding and said, "It's not as easy as it should be…"_

 _"Ok, in this world, you have asthma, so if you ever feel like you can't breathe you have to use an inhaler, ok?" Dean said. Ben nodded, so he looked at Alec and asked, "How're you feeling? We need to get you some milk or some pills as soon as possible…We just got your arm to stop shaking, and traveling to wherever we are now had to be hard on you…" Alec just nodded too, which was worrisome. But Alec had been seizing for a long time, so he didn't want to start again. "C'mon, let's get outta here," Dean said, standing up again._

 _"Dean, we have to tell Morgan where they are," Sam said._

 _"Dammit…" Dean grumbled. "What's the plan here?"_

 _"I don't know…she was in a full-blown panic, so I don't know if she'll let them out of her sight again," Sam said._

 _"Well, they aren't goin' with her," Dean said. "They're mine. I'm not letting them out of my sight."_

 _"We can't just kidnap them Dean," Sam said._

 _"It's not kidnapping if they're_ mine _," Dean growled._

 _"But they're not yours in this world," Sam argued. "We'll never get out of here if we're in jail and the boys are on lockdown because we went crazy and kidnapped them."_

 _"So…what do we do?" Dean asked._

 _"No idea…"_

 _Alec huffed suddenly and said, "Me and Ben should just be really hard to find for a while, and then when you do find us, we're really tired, so we have to stay here."_

 _"And you can tell Morgan that she could have the night off," Ben added._

 _"Might work," Dean said, looking over at Sam._

 _"Best idea we have so far," Sam agreed._

 _"Ok, c'mon kiddos," Dean said, grabbing their hands to keep them close._

 _"I think to make this more believable…maybe you should carry us," Alec said with his head down._

 _He smiled a little and ruffled Alec's hair. His little boy had been a lot clingier since they'd gotten him back from Crowley, but he was still trying to hide it. He picked Alec up and held him close, and Alec wrapped his arm around him and snuggled against his neck. Sam picked Ben up too since both boys like being carried, and Ben didn't like being left out._

 _"Let's go find your fake Mom," Dean whispered._

* * *

 _"I still can't believe you talked Morgan into letting us watch over them," Uncle Sam whispered. He was snuggled up as close to his Dad as he could get, and he was mostly asleep, but something must have woken him up._

 _"If that didn't work, then I was just going to kidnap them," Dad said. "Then we'd just go on the run until we could get all the supplies and get back to our world."_

 _"I figured that would be plan B," Uncle Sam said, a smile in his voice. "But that was pretty good adding in that the boys had to be up early, and they were a handful in the morning."_

 _"Yeah, well, their_ real _Dad would know that kind of thing," Dad muttered. He smiled a little and snuggled even closer to his Dad. His Dad's hand rubbed circles on his back, which was helping him fall back asleep. Dad had tried to get him and Ben to sleep on the big bed that was in the trailer, but they had both refused unless Dad was going to go to sleep too. He'd immediately claimed Dad as his sleeping spot, so Ben was with Uncle Sam._

 _"I think I found one of the ingredients," Uncle Sam said, making him wake up a little again._

 _"Really?" Dad asked in surprise._

 _"Wrist bone of saint and holy reliquary. Museum-quality, from diocese in Oaxaca," Uncle Sam said. "Looks legit."_

 _Dad stood up suddenly, causing him to grab his shirt in surprise. "Sorry kiddo," Dad whispered, kissing the side of his head. He relaxed a little and snuggled against him again. "Alright. Auction house is in Mexico City. We could be there day after tomorrow. We, uh, case it, yank it, be back here by the end of the week."_

 _"Or we could just buy it," Uncle Sam said._

 _"What?!" Dad exclaimed. "Dude, that thing's over a hundred thou-" He woke up a little when Dad suddenly stopped and looked over at Uncle Sam who was holding up a credit card. "Hello, Jared Padalecki."_

 _"We're TV stars, so we've got the money to buy it," Uncle Sam._

 _"Alright, triple rush it to get it here, and we'll pick it up in the morning," Dad said._

 _"Yeah," Uncle Sam agreed, "Here, take Ben and get some sleep. I'll finish this up and make sure all the ingredients get here."_

 _"Alec, you awake?" Dad asked him._

 _"Yeah…" Alec mumbled._

 _Dad chuckled, but he was moving again as he said, "I'm just gonna tuck you in real quick, grab your brother, and then I'll be right there, ok? I'll only be gone for a minute."_

 _"Promise?" Alec whispered._

 _"I promise," Dad reassured. He let Dad put him down on the bed, but he didn't get under the covers, or even lay down because he wasn't going to sleep without his Dad there. Thankfully, Dad really was only gone a minute, and then he was back. He put Ben down on the other side of the bed before he got in bed and moved so he was between them. He immediately moved closer and quickly snuggled against Dad's side before he could even get the covers up. "I'm not goin' anywhere Alec," Dad whispered._

 _"Ok…" Alec slurred, already almost asleep again. Dad kissed the top of his head, and then got the covers over the three of them before he fell asleep._

* * *

 _"C'mon Alec, you gotta get up," Dean said. "We let you and Ben sleep while we went to get the ingredients, but now you gotta get up, so we can go home."_

 _"I'm too tired to be a child actor today," Alec mumbled. He chuckled but pulled the covers off of his little boy to try to get him moving. "Dad!" Alec whined._

 _"Up and at 'em kiddo," Dean said with a smile. "Uncle Sam even made you breakfast. Plus, we're not acting today because we're gonna go home."_

 _Alec finally started to sit up, but he quickly picked him up and made him yell in surprise. He laughed as Alec started giggling and wiggled in his hold to try to get free. The best way to wake Alec up completely was with a game. He tossed Alec back on the bed, but then lunged to try to jump on him. Alec moved out of the way though, and quickly got on top of him to try to keep him down._

 _"Uh, Dean, we need to get to set if we're gonna beat everyone else there," Sam said. He knew Sam was trying to sound annoyed, but he could hear amusement in his brother's voice. Alec's laughter had been missing for too long, so they both like to let him laugh as much as he wanted._

 _"Alright, alright," Dean grumbled. He rolled over and picked Alec up again and carried him over to Sam and Ben. He plopped Alec down next to his brother as Sam put a plate of eggs in front of his little boy. He ruffled Alec's hair and kissed the top of Ben's head as he walked by his boys to get their high priority box of ingredients._

 _"I'm done. Can we go home now?" Alec asked._

 _He whirled around, shocked that Alec was already done with his breakfast, but when he looked, his plate was clean. Ben's plate was clean too, so he passed the box off to Sam and grabbed both boys' hands. "Let's go see if this will work," Dean said._

 _They walked over to the set and had just started to get the box open when the lights all turned on. He and Sam shared a look as people started to walk onto set._

 _"We finish today in 12 hours if it kills us all," a man, who he assumed was the director said. "Get 'a' and 'b' cam for scene 12." The man stopped when he spotted them and smiled, "What's this? Here for the first run-through, before anyone else? Dedication."_

 _He quickly stepped forward as Sam took the boys over to where fake Cas was and sat down. "Uh, can I talk to you for a second? Um, we're gonna need the, uh, set cleared for…safe side, an hour or so…"_

 _"You need it cleared," the man stated._

 _"Yeah. Yeah. Me and, um…Jared were gonna do some actor stuff with the boys," Dean said._

 _"Jensen, we're thrilled to see you collaborating so creatively," the man said. "And your enthusiasm is refreshing. But we will clear this set exactly when we shoot the 2 3/8 pages we are scheduled to shoot on this set. So, you do your 'actor stuff' and we'll do our 'camera stuff' and , uh-"_

 _He walked off before the man could keep talking._

 _"Ooh, 'priority'. What's in it?" Fake Cas asked Sam as he walked over._

 _"I bought a part of a dead person," Sam said._

 _"Oh…cool," Fake Cas said._

 _He picked Ben up from Sam's lap and said, "Uh, so, bad news. Uh…Looks like we're gonna have to do a little acting…"_

 _"Yes!" Alec said, even though he probably had no idea what all that meant._

 _"What?" Sam asked, looking worried._

 _"C'mon, let's just get over there and get it over with, and then we can go," Dean said._

 _Sam put the box in the chair before he and Alec followed him over to the set. They showed him where he was supposed to stand, but then they tried to tell Ben where to stand, but he wasn't being overly cooperative. He would set Ben down, but his little boy would immediately put his arms up like he wanted to be picked up again, and he couldn't refuse, so he'd pick him up until the crewmember would come over again and tell Ben where to stand._

 _"Dean…this is a bad idea," Sam whispered. His brother was standing awkwardly, and he figured out that he was trying really hard to stay standing on the small X that was taped to the floor._

 _"Do you have any powers?" Alec asked Fake Cas as he got up on the desk. He'd been told to just sit on the desk, but he'd almost immediately stood up, so he could talk to Fake Cas._

 _"What?" Fake Cas asked with a frown._

 _"Can you fly or anything? Or are you really boring?" Alec asked._

 _"Um…"_

 _"What did you say your real name was? It was something weird…" Alec said with a smirk. He knew Alec remembered the guy's name, but he must have thought something was funny._

 _"Cayden, you know my name," Fake Cas said._

 _Alec made a disgusted face and looked away from Fake Cas to start playing with the props that were on the desk. "Alec don't play with the props," Dean said with a sigh._

 _"I'm bored," Alec said._

 _"Cayden…you didn't get your contacts put in," Fake Cas pointed out._

 _"Shut up Fake Cas," Alec grumbled. "I don't like them, so I don't want them."_

 _"Alec be nice," Sam said._

 _"I don't want the contacts," Alec growled._

 _"You don't have to wear the contacts," Sam reassured._

 _"Jared-"_

 _"He doesn't want to wear them," Sam snapped._

 _"Jensen, we have Aiden marked in another position," the crewmember said._

 _He set Ben down again, but immediately had to pick him up. "Can't you just re-mark him or whatever?" Dean asked._

 _"Dad, I have to go to the bathroom," Alec whispered._

 _"'Supernatural' scene 36, take 1. Marker!" Another crewmember said._

 _"Action!"_

 _He looked over at Sam, but Sam just looked back at him with panic. "Balthazar is no hero," Fake Cas said, sounding just like Real Cas. "But he knows Raphael will never take him back."_

 _He jumped since that was his cue to move to a different mark. He stepped forward but looked down to see that he'd missed the taped X on the floor. "Shit…" he muttered, taking a step to the right._

 _"Cut!" the director yelled._

 _"'Supernatural' scene 36, take 8. Marker!" the crewmember said._

 _"Action!"_

 _Movement caught his eye, so he looked over at Sam to see him swinging his arms before he crossed his arms and tried to look like he was trying to pay attention. "Balthazar is no hero," Fake Cas said as Sam shifted back and forth and swung his giant arms around._

 _"What are you doing?" Alec asked Sam._

 _"Alec, you're not supposed to talk while the camera is rolling," Sam whispered._

 _"Cut!"_

 _"'Supernatural' scene 36, take 9. Marker!"_

 _"Action!"_

 _"Balthazar is no hero. But he knows Raphael will never take him back."_

 _It was quiet for a minute before he realized he had a line. He took his step to the right, but then had to look at the script to figure out where they were before he grumbled, "And yet…somehow you got no problem with it."_

 _"Cut!"_

 _The next take was messed up because Alec said he really had to go to the bathroom. The one after that, Ben wanted to be put down in the middle of the scene, which for some reason was a problem. Then Alec knocked something over on the desk and said shit on camera. Sam had glared at Alec, but his little boy had just rolled his eyes._

 _"That's because…that's because we have no other choice," Sam said._

 _"Don't look at the camera," Dean hissed, seeing his brother looking right at the camera._

 _"What?"_

 _"Look anywhere but the camera," Dean said._

 _Sam looked up at the ceiling, which made Alec laugh, and said, "That's because we have no other choice!"_

 _"Cut! For the love of…"_

 _"Could you just say your name one time," Alec asked Fake Cas._

 _"Dude, he's not gonna stop until you say it," Dean said to Fake Cas._

 _"What is going on?" Fake Cas asked._

 _"Action!"_

 _Sam raised his arm up as he walked forward, "If there's a key, then…" he raised his other arm, "there must be a lock…"_

 _"Uncle Sam, I don't think that's how you're supposed to do it," Alec said._

 _"Cut!"_

 _"Dad…I have to go to the bathroom," Ben said._

 _He picked Ben up and walked off set just as they yelled "Action!", and then they immediately yelled, "Cut!"_

 _"Action!"_

 _"Can I try your line?" Alec asked Uncle Sam._

 _"Alec, you're not supposed to say anything while the camera is rolling. I thought we already went over this," Sam said._

 _"Cut!"_

 _"Action!"_

 _"IF THERE'S A KEY THEN THERE MUST ALSO BE A LOCK!" Alec yelled as fast as he could._

 _"Cut!"_

 _He couldn't stop laughing while Sam looked at Alec and tried to explain, again, that he wasn't supposed to talk._

 _"Action!"_

 _"How come I don't have any lines?" Alec asked._

 _"Cut!"_

 _"Ben, how 'bout you stand next to Alec for a while," Dean asked. His arm was going numb from holding him for so long._

 _"Action!"_

 _"Don't push me," Alec complained._

 _"I'm not pushing you," Ben argued._

 _"You're on my side of the desk!" Alec said._

 _"Boys knock it off," Dean hissed. His boys were getting grumpy, which meant they needed to wrap this up. They probably needed something to eat too…_

 _"Cut!"_

 _"Action!"_

 _"If there's a key…then there has to be a lock," Sam said. "And when we find the lock, we can get the weapons, and then we can have the weapons." He, Alec, and Ben all looked at Sam like he was insane, but he just kept going. "And the lock. We'll still have the lock, I imagine, because we've opened it, and of course, the initial key."_

 _"We need to get all three of that crap," Dean said to shut Sam up._

 _"What?" Sam asked, confused._

 _"Dad's going off script," Alec whispered._

 _"That's how he does it," Dean said._

 _"Oh…"_

 _He dropped the attempt at acting completely and looked out the fake window, "Do we really need all these lines? I mean…I, I think we've covered it, right?"_

 _"Dad, I'm bored," Alec complained. He picked up his little boy because he could tell that this time Alec's bored meant tired. They'd been at this a long time, so they needed a break anyway, plus, he wanted to try the spell to get back home._

 _He ignored the director and the rest of the crew as he and Sam carried the boys back over to the chairs. Sam got the script out as he sat down with Alec sitting on his lap, leaning against his chest. "Who wrote this?" Sam asked. "Nobody says 'penultimate'!"_

 _"Gun, mouth. Now," Dean said. Alec giggled, which made him smile and hold his little boy closer._

 _"Moving on!" one of the crew members yelled._

 _"Thank God," Dean breathed. Sam picked up the box with his free hand and they both walked back into Bobby's fake living room. He sat Alec down on top of the desk, but his little boy pouted when he set him down. "Just for a minute, ok kiddo? Me and Uncle Sammy are just gonna get this spell all put together, and then we're practically home." Sam sat Ben down next to Alec, but he didn't look happy about it either._

 _"I don't feel good," Alec whispered._

 _"Just let us do this one thing to try to get home, and then we'll get you something to eat and get you tucked in for a nap, ok?" Dean said, gently ruffling Alec's hair. Alec finally nodded, so he and Sam quickly unpacked their box of ingredients to get the spell going. "Alright, damn it. We earned this," Dean said. He drew the sigil on the window while Sam put everything together in a bowl. Thankfully, his boys stayed sitting on the desk, just watching what they were doing. They really were tired since they weren't trying to help or knocking things over._

 _"That's it?" Sam asked once he was done with the sigil._

 _"That's it, Toto," Dean said. He picked Alec up again since his little boy admitted that he wasn't feeling good, which meant he_ really _wasn't feeling good. He couldn't wait to get home. Alec's energy still wasn't back all the way since he'd been tortured, so it'd be good to get him back home._

 _"You ready?" Sam asked, picking Ben up._

 _"More than ready," Dean replied. They both crashed through the window with the boys, but then they landed on the padded landing spot that was on set. "Shit…"_

 _He and Sam looked around, but they really were still on set. The spell hadn't worked._

 _"Maybe we did it wrong," Sam said as they walked over to the food table a few minutes later._

 _"No. No, that…that spell was perfect," Dean said. "It should have worked." He grabbed a banana from the table and handed it to Alec. "I know you don't like them, but you need a boost, kiddo." Alec reluctantly took the banana and rested against him as he ate it._

 _"What if it can't?" Sam asked. He glanced over at Sam who was loading up on food for both boys. "Look, I was up all night looking online. There's no sign that anything like the apocalypse happened here. Ever. And as far as I can tell, monsters, ghosts, demons…they're all pretend."_

 _"So, nobody's hunting them?" Dean asked. The two of them walked away from the food table to try to find the exit to the set. He wanted to get back to the trailer at least, so the boys could get at least an hour of rest before they figured out their next move._

 _"No hunters," Sam said. "Look, maybe that's why our spell didn't work, Dean, you know? M-maybe here, there's no supernatural, no magic."_

 _"No demons, no hell, no heaven, no…no God?" Dean asked._

 _"Something like that," Sam said. "Even better…No angels."_

 _"Ok, maybe we can't get out of, uh, you know, Earth number two right now, but the least we can do is get the hell out of the Canadian part of it," Dean grumbled. "Steal one of the Impalas that work, find a nice motel room, let the boys rest up, and get back to America. If I hear one more conversation about hockey, I'm gonna puke."_

 _"Wait a minute," Sam said. "This way."_

 _"No, no, no. It's this way," Dean said, walking the way he thought the exit was._

 _"No, Dean, look, I really…I really think that we should…" Sam froze suddenly and his eyes widened before he yelled, "Dean!"_

 _He turned around to see Virgil, who had attacked Balthazar right before he'd thrown him into this backwards world. The angel put his hand against his forehead before he could put Alec down or anything._

 _"NO!" Sam yelled._

 _They all seemed to wait to see if anything was going to happen, but it didn't. "Sorry dude. Mojo-free zone," Dean said with a smirk. Alec wiggled out of his arms since he knew that's what he wanted, and he punched Virgil before he could do anything else._

 _"No magic in this world," Sam said, following up his punch with his own._

 _"Which makes you nothing but a dick," Dean said. He glanced over to make sure the boys were both safe, and thankfully, they were. He held the angel, so his brother could punch him._

 _They were doing pretty good until more people showed up and pulled him and Sam away from the guy._

 _"No, no, no, no! Stop! You don't understand!" Sam yelled as two people held him back. Virgil grabbed something off of Sam before he took off._

 _"You're dead, Virgil! I'm gonna break your friggin' neck!" Dean yelled._

 _It took a while to convince the guys holding him and Sam back that they weren't going to go after Virgil right after they released them, but Alec walked over after a while and reached up to be picked up._

 _"See, I've got Al…um, Cayden and Aiden to take care of," Dean said to reassure the men even more. "Their Mom's gonna come looking for them soon." He picked Alec up and held him close since his little boy had to be feeling even worse now._

 _Sam picked Ben up to prove to him that he was ok, and to prove to the men that they really could let them go. They even walked off in the other direction to prove it, even though all he wanted to do was find Virgil and kick his ass._

 _"Any ideas?" Sam asked as they walked away. They'd lost all the food they'd gotten for the boys, so they'd at least have to go back to get food._

 _"I don't know," Dean said. "I mean, Virgil broke through. Maybe he's got a way to get back."_

 _"Or he has no juice here, and now he's stuck like us," Sam said._

 _"Yeah, either way, I want to finish kicking his ass," Dean grumbled._

 _"First we gotta get them more food," Sam said. "The boys are wiped out…"_

 _"And we probably should actually find the trailer," Dean muttered._

 _"There you are, guys!" a man called out. He and Sam turned at the same time to see the director waving at them from fake Bobby's house. "You got a minute?"_

 _"Actually, we're…we're looking for, uh…" Sam mumbled._

 _"For that extra you tried to kill?" The director asked. He glanced over at Sam, and they both walked over to the set. "So, is it money?" The director asked. "Is this the kind of act that goes away if we can scare up some coverage on a raise?"_

 _"More money?" Dean asked in surprise. "You already pay these two jokers enough as it is."_

 _"Yeah," Sam agreed._

 _"'Cause I'd like to think that over these years, we've grown closer," the director said as if he and Sam hadn't said anything. "That you don't think of me as 'director Bob' or 'executive producer Bob Singer', but as 'uncle Bob'."_

 _He frowned, and actually perked up a little hearing the director's name. "Wait, you're kidding," Sam said. "So, the character in the show, Bobby Singer…"_

 _"What kind of douchebag names a character after himself?" Dean asked._

 _"Oh, that's not right," Sam said, shaking his head._

 _"Ok, guys, let's begin again," Bob said._

 _He rolled his eyes and looked at his brother instead, "You know, I don't think Virgil would have shagged out of here without getting his mitts on that key."_

 _"Yeah. Yeah, I agree," Sam said._

 _"Guys…" Bob said. "You can't come to work on poppers-"_

 _"Dad, what's poppers?" Alec asked softly._

 _"They're bad for you," Dean muttered._

 _"And smuggle kidneys in from Mexico and make up your own lines as you go!" Bob continued. "You cannot make up you own lines! Good God, what about your careers?"_

 _"You know what?" Sam said. "Screw our careers, Bob."_

 _"What?!"_

 _"You heard my brother," Dean said, turning to face Bob again. "That's right, I said 'brother'. And these are my boys, Alec and Ben. 'Cause you know what, Bob? We're not actors. We're hunters. We're the Winchesters. Always have been, and always will be. And where we're from, people don't know who we are. But you know what? We mattered in that world. In fact, we even saved a son of a bitch once or twice. And yeah, ok, here, maybe there's some…some fans who give a crap about this nonsense."_

 _"I wouldn't call it nonsense…" Bob said._

 _"But, Bob Singer…If that even is your name…Tell me this. What does it all mean?" Dean asked._

 _"Ok," Bob said with a smile. "This is good. I mean, we've all had our psychotic breaks, right? I can work with this."_

 _"Dean," Sam said, suddenly checking his pockets. "Virgil…I think he has the key…"_

 _He looked at Bob again and said, "We quit."_

* * *

 _"Maybe we can get on the police dispatch system," Uncle Sam whispered._

 _He snuggled against Dad since he just wanted to go to bed, but they were still walking around set. He assumed it was because Dad and Uncle Sam forgot where the trailer was, but he couldn't be sure because he didn't even want to open his eyes. "Put out an A.P.B on Virgil," Dad said. "Might work, if he stays obvious."_

 _"It's not like we have a lot of time," Uncle Sam said. "Pretty sure Morgan is gonna call the cops on us as soon as she figures out we're not bringing the boys back."_

 _"They aren't leavin' my sight," Dad growled._

 _"Dean."_

 _"Sorry, I'm just freaked out that we're still in this stupid place where my boys aren't mine," Dad said._

 _"I know. We just gotta be careful," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Dad…" Ben mumbled._

 _"Yeah buddy?" Dad asked back._

 _"I'm tired," Ben whispered._

 _"I know buddy. We're still looking for the trailer," Dad said. "Alec, you doin' ok kiddo? You're bein' really quiet…" He just nodded since he didn't feel very good. "Alec?" Dad asked. He must not have felt him nod._

 _"I don't feel good," Alec mumbled._

 _Dad put his hand against his cheek, "You feel warm…Sam, does he feel warm to you?"_

 _Another hand touched his neck, and then Uncle Sam said, "He's been up for a long time today…Plus, we don't have his pills…"_

 _"Ok kiddo, here's what we're gonna do," Dad said. "We're gonna find a car that works, and then we're gonna find a store to get some milk and some pills, and then we'll find a motel to sleep at for the night. How does that sound?"_

 _"Good…" Alec whispered._

 _"Sam start looking for a car that works," Dad said. Uncle Sam nodded and took his brother another direction while Dad looked for a car the way they were already going._

 _"I'm cold," he whispered once it was just him and Dad. He liked Ben ok now, but he still didn't want him to see how weak he was. Only Dad was allowed to see him when he was weak._

 _Dad held him closer and rubbed his back, "I'll find ya a blanket or something as soon as we get off this stupid set."_

 _"Dad…what if I have another seizure?" Alec asked, trying not to sound too scared, but failing._

 _Dad stopped walking and held him back a little, so he could look at him. "Alec I'm sorry. We should've left sooner. I should've known the spell wouldn't work and just kidnapped you and Ben yesterday…"_

 _"I just wanna go home," he whispered._

 _"I know," Dad said miserably. He snuggled against Dad's chest to make him hold him close again._

 _"Dean!" Uncle Sam called out. "We found one!"_

 _"See, things are already looking better," Dad said._

 _"Can I sit up front with you?" Alec asked, even though he thought he already knew what Dad's answer would be. Dad never let him sit up front since he thought he was too little. He only got to sit up front when he got hurt or had a seizure._

 _"Yeah, you can sit up front with me," Dad said. He looked up in surprise, which made Dad chuckle and mess up his hair. "We're in a backwards universe and you don't feel good, of course you can sit up front with me."_

 _"Thanks Dad," he said, wrapping his arms around Dad's neck again._

 _Dad kissed the side of his head as he walked over to where Uncle Sam and Ben were standing next to one of the Impalas. "Alec's gonna sit up front with us," Dad said._

 _"Can I sit up front too?" Ben asked. He didn't care if Ben got to sit up front too as long as he got to sit by Dad._

 _Uncle Sam and Dad shared a look before Dad said, "Yeah, you can sit up front too."_

 _He stayed as close to Dad as he could as they drove out of the set, and he really hoped they would find somewhere to stop soon because he was feeling worse. He didn't want to have seizures again. He'd been in constant pain for a long time after Dad had rescued him from Crowley, and he didn't want to be in that pain again._

 _"You see that?" Dad asked, looking over at Uncle Sam._

 _"Somethin's goin' on…" Uncle Sam said._

 _He barely looked up to see that there were a bunch of cops near an alley. He nearly groaned when Dad slowly pulled over and stopped the car. "Me and Uncle Sam are just gonna check this out, and then we'll find a motel, ok kiddo?" Dad asked._

 _"I wanna go with you," Alec whispered. If they were going to stop, then he wanted to go too. Besides, he was going to be cold if Dad left._

 _"Alec, this looks like a crime scene…I don't think they'll talk to us if we bring you guys with us," Dad said._

 _"I'll go take a look," Uncle Sam quickly cut in. "I'll see if this is anything, and then I'll be right back. You guys can all stay here. It's probably nothing anyway."_

 _Dad nodded, so Uncle Sam got out and walked over to the crime scene. Uncle Sam talked to a few of the cops, but he could tell something was up before he even looked back over at them and nodded that he needed Dad to come over too._

 _"Alright boys, let's go see what's goin' on," Dad said. He got out of the car and picked him up before he grabbed Ben's hand and walked over to Uncle Sam._

 _"Someone killed Fake Cas," Uncle Sam whispered._

 _"What?" Dad asked._

 _"Some homeless guy saw the whole thing," Uncle Sam said. "I guess some guy cut his throat…"_

 _"Is the homeless guy still around?" Dad asked._

 _"Yeah, he's hanging around to talk to the cops, but they're dealing with something else right now," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Sounds like the perfect time to get some answers," Dad said._

 _"You think we should have the boys out around so many cops?" Uncle Sam whispered to Dad. "If Morgan's put out that the boys are missing, this is gonna be a problem…"_

 _"If you think Alec's gonna sit in the car while he's not feeling good, you're wrong," Dad said. "And if Alec gets to go, then Ben's gonna want to go."_

 _"Alright…we'll just have to stay away from the cops as much as possible," Uncle Sam said. Uncle Sam motioned to a homeless man who was standing off to the side, so they quickly went over there. "Hey, the cops said you saw what happened?" Uncle Sam asked. "The guy who was killed was a friend of ours."_

 _"Yeah, I saw it," the man said._

 _"Did you hear anything?" Dad asked._

 _"Yeah, yeah, the guy said Raphael. Like the ninja turtle," the man said. "He was calling someone named Raphael, up in heaven."_

 _"Calling?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"Yeah, yeah. That's right," the man said. "The…the scary man killed the attractive crying man, and then he started to pray. And the strange part…After a while, I swear I hear this voice…answering."_

 _"What did it say?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"Well, it didn't make any sense," the man mumbled._

 _"Try us," Dad said impatiently. He wished the guy would get on with it, so he could maybe go to sleep at some point tonight._

 _"The voice said, for Virgil, the scary man, 'to return tomorrow' at the place where he crossed over, 'at the time of the crossing'. And Raphael would 'reach through the window and take him and the key home'," the man said._

 _"Uh…ok...Hey, thank you," Dad said. He and Uncle Sam walked away from the homeless man, back towards the car._

 _"Uh…Dean, if Virgil gets back with that key, Cas is dead, and our world is toast," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Well, then we stop him," Dad stated. "I mean, how bad can an angel with no wings be?"_

 _"No idea," Uncle Sam replied._

 _"Dad…are we gonna find somewhere to sleep now?" Alec asked. He groaned when Dad and Uncle Sam shared a look. That meant they definitely were not going to get any sleep tonight._

 _"I think we need to get back to set," Uncle Sam reluctantly said._

 _"Alec…the place where we crossed over was on set, so I'm guessing that's where Virgil crossed over too," Dad said. "The best thing to do is get back to set and wait for him to show up. We don't know what time he crossed over, so we've gotta kinda camp out."_

 _"But we can find some stuff to hang out with until he shows up," Uncle Sam said. "Food, pillows, blankets…you and Ben can sleep until he shows up."_

 _"Ok…" Alec mumbled._

 _Dad kissed the side of his head and shifted him over as he got back in the car._

* * *

 _It only took five minutes for the boys to fall asleep once they had some food. Dean was holding Alec since he still wasn't feeling good, and Ben was snuggled up against him as he slept. They were sitting in Bobby's fake study since that's where they had crossed over, and since the boys felt more comfortable here even though it was fake._

 _"Does Alec still have a fever?" Sam asked. He could tell his brother was still worried about Alec, and he wasn't sure if it was just because he wasn't feeling good, or if this was still because of what Crowley had done._

 _"Yeah, but I think eating helped," Dean said. "And he needed some sleep."_

 _"At least they're getting along now, right?" Sam asked, looking down at Ben. It had been really tense in the car until Alec had decided Ben was ok. He knew Alec still hid things from Ben, but things were definitely better._

 _"Yeah," Dean said with a small smile. "Who knew Alec could be so stubborn…"_

 _"Well, it'd be hard for him to share you with someone else," Sam said. "He still isn't very good at letting Ben have your attention."_

 _"He's getting better," Dean quickly defended. "But it was just the three of us for a year, and then it was just me and him until I lost him…"_

 _"Dean, you know Crowley kidnapping him wasn't your fault," Sam said._

 _"He still won't talk about it," Dean said, running his hand through Alec's hair. "He won't tell me anything."_

 _"He'll talk about it when he's ready," Sam said._

 _Dean shook his head, but quickly changed the subject, "You know that if we drop Virgil, get the key, then this might be it. We might be stuck here…"_

 _"No, we'll figure out a way back," Sam argued. He didn't want Dean to give up hope, especially since they didn't belong in this world._

 _"Yeah, you wouldn't be that broken up if we didn't though," Dean said._

 _"What?" Sam asked with a frown. "Don't be stupid." He didn't want to stay here._

 _"Well, I'm just saying," Dean said. "No hell below us…above us only sky."_

 _"Dean, our friends are back there," Sam said._

 _"Yeah, but here, you got a pretty good life," Dean said. "I mean, back home, the hits have been coming since you were six months old. You got to admit, being a bazillionare, a tv star…the whole package. It's no contest."_

 _"No, you know, you were right," Sam said. "We just don't mean the same thing here. I mean, we're not even brothers here, man. The boys aren't yours…We don't belong here."_

 _"Alright, then," Dean said, trying to hide his smile. "Let's get our crazy show back home."_

 _He nodded in agreement, and then asked, "Hey, where do you think the us from this world are?"_

 _Dean thought about it for a minute, but then started laughing, "Dude, what if they're in our world?"_

 _He laughed too just thinking about the actors trying to make it in their world, where monsters were real, and they didn't have any money. "Hopefully they're still alive when we manage to get back to our world," Sam said._

 _"You know what would be nice…if we could somehow take some of this money back with us," Dean said._

 _"Yeah, that would be nice," Sam agreed._

 _Dean brushed Alec's hair back and wrapped the blanket around him a little tighter. Alec shook his head to mess up his hair again before he snuggled against Dean. "I just wanna get back home," Dean whispered._

* * *

 _"Sam, get Ben up," Dean said as soon as he heard gunfire. He quickly shook Alec's shoulder, "C'mon kiddo, time to wake up," Dean whispered._

 _"Where are we?" Alec asked, looking around in confusion._

 _"We're still in that messed up world, but there's something going on outside," Dean said, running his hand through Alec's hair to try to get him to wake up a little more. "How're you feelin'?" Dean asked even though he knew they needed to get ready._

 _"Just tired," Alec whispered, his voice sad._

 _"Hey, we're gonna get home today," Dean reassured, rubbing Alec's shoulder. "We'll get home, and then hang out at Bobby's again, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Alec said._

 _He stood up, and then picked Alec up to hold him close. "Me and Uncle Sammy are gonna get the key back from Virgil, but I just want you to stand by the window, ok? I don't want you to move no matter what, ok?"_

 _"Dean, there's more people here," Sam said. "The crew's here."_

 _"Ok…that's ok," Dean said. He put Alec down in front of the window where the sigil was still drawn, and then Sam put Ben down next to Alec. "Ben, you stay here with Alec, ok? Watch out for your brother, but I don't want you to move from this spot," Dean said._

 _"Ok Dad," Ben said with a nod._

 _The gunfire sounded a lot closer now, so he said, "I want you two to duck down, ok? I don't want you to get hit, and if we get hurt, it's gonna be a lot harder to get out of here."_

 _Alec and Ben both nodded, so he gave both of them a quick hug before he heard the door slam open. He made sure his boys ducked down before he looked over to see Virgil toting more than one gun. The angel shot another crew member, and then he heard Sam yell, "Hey!"_

 _He ran over and punched Virgil before he could shoot anyone else. Sam was there a second later, helping him fight the angel. They were getting too close to the boys, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it right now._

 _"Dean! Got it!" Sam yelled, holding up the key. Sam looked at the window though, and then yelled, "Raphael! Run!"_

 _He pushed Virgil back before he turned and grabbed both of his boys and held them close as he was pulled back. He and Sam crashed through the window, and then landed hard on some pavement. He quickly made sure Alec and Ben were both ok before he looked to Sam._

 _"Winchesters…" a woman said. "You have the strangest luck…"_

 _"Raphael?" Dean asked in surprise as the four of them got to their feet. "Nice meatsuit. Dude looks like a lady."_

 _Raphael squeezed her fist, instantly making pain spike through him. He heard Ben and Alec cry out in pain, and Sam bent over next to him. "The key," Raphael said, picking up the key that was on the ground._

 _He reached out for his boys even though it hurt and pulled them closer to him. He could see tears in Ben's eyes, and Alec wouldn't even look at him. He needed to figure out a way to get them out of this._

 _"And that will open you a locker at the Albany bus station," Balthazar said, suddenly appearing in front of them._

 _"Really," Raphael replied, clearly not believing him._

 _"You see, I needed a modest decoy to make it more convincing," Balthazar said, looking at him and winking. He glared at the angel, putting him on the list of angels to take out as soon as he was able to._

 _"Give me the weapons," Raphael demanded._

 _"Sorry darling," Balthazar said. "They're gone."_

 _"What?!"_

 _"I said, too bloody late," Balthazar said. "You see, they were so well-hidden that I needed time to find them. So, I volunteered the Winchesters for a game of fetch with Virgil."_

 _"You've made your last mistake," Raphael growled, moving closer to Balthazar._

 _"Oh, I've got a few more up my sleeve, honey," Balthazar said with a smirk._

 _Cas appeared before Raphael could do anything, "Step away from him, Raphael. I have the weapons now. Their power is with me."_

 _"Castiel," Raphael said._

 _"If you don't want to die tonight, back off," Cas warned._

 _He could suddenly breathe again once Raphael disappeared, so he quickly turned his boys around to see if they were ok._

 _"Well, Cas…Now that you have your sword, try not to die by it," Balthazar said before he disappeared._

 _He blinked, and then suddenly they were all at Bobby's house again. His real house._

 _"Cas, what the hell?" Sam said as soon as they were back. Cas was already walking away, but he stopped when Sam said something. "Wait, wait, you were in on this, using us as a diversion?" Sam asked angrily._

 _"It was Balthazar's plan," Cas said. "I would have done the same thing."_

 _"That's not comforting, Cas," Dean growled, picking Alec up again since it looked like he was about to have a break down. He pulled Ben against his side too since he wanted both boys to know that they were ok. He looked at both of his boys, thankful that they had green eyes again, which meant they really were his again._

 _"When will I be able to make you understand?" Cas asked. "If I lose against Raphael, we all lose. Everything."_

 _"Yeah, Cas. We know the stakes. That's about all you've told us!" Dean yelled._

 _"I'm sorry about all this. I'll explain when I can," Cas said. He disappeared before he gave them any actual answers though, which pissed him off._

 _"Freakin' angels," Dean grumbled._

 _He looked over at Sam when he walked over to one of the walls. He frowned when Sam knocked on the wall, "Solid," Sam breathed. "It's real."_

 _"Home sweet home," Dean said. Alec hugged him closer and refused to let go. "C'mon boys, I think it's time for some real sleep."_

 _"Can we sleep on the sofa?" Alec asked softly._

 _"We can do anything you want," Dean said._

 _He and Sam got the boys comfortable on the sofa, but they both snuggled as close to him as they could get. He turned on the tv, just glad to be home again._

 _"Beer?" Sam asked as he walked in._

 _"Sure," Dean said, taking the beer his brother gave him without moving the boys too much._

 _"It's good to be home," Sam said, sitting in the recliner next to him._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	16. Chapter 16

_Sorry for the long wait, work has been getting in the way lately but I did manage to finally get this chapter done! I'm sorry if there are mistakes, I didn't go through as many times as I usually do since I wanted to get this up as soon as I could. To recap, Jody, Mary, and Jack are in the apocalypse world, Sam and Dean are in the bad place, and Alec and Ben are in the real world heading back to the bunker because Alec is hurt again. This chapter has a flashback from season 6, season 7/8, and season 11. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 16

Present

"Hey, hey, Alec, c'mon brother, I need you to wake up," Ben begged, tapping Alec's cheek repeatedly. He knew bringing Alec back to the bunker was a bad idea, but he couldn't say no to him, especially with Dad gone. "C'mon Alec, please. If you don't wake up, I'm taking you to the hospital. You have five seconds before I pull this car back out of the garage and we head out again."

"Get off of me…" Alec slurred, weakly pushing at his arm to try to get him to go away.

"Open your eyes," Ben ordered. He refused to move until Alec actually looked at him. He could tell it was a struggle for Alec to even crack his eyes open, but he managed it. "Ok, good," Ben said, softer than before. "Just stay with me, ok? We're gonna go inside, and then we'll figure out what to do next, ok?"

"I'm freezing," Alec said pitifully.

He put his hand on Alec's forehead and shook his head, "That's because you have a fever. I told you that moving you was going to be too hard on you."

"What d'you want? A parade?" Alec mumbled. He would've smiled at Alec's attempt at being funny, but Alec was too hurt right now to manage it. He knew Alec wouldn't die from the stab wound or the slash across his chest, but if he couldn't get control of his brother's fever, then he was going to start having seizures, and then everything would spiral out of control. His brother would probably die from the seizures, and then he'd be alone. He wasn't going to let that happen.

"I want to get you inside," Ben said evenly. "I want to get you on fluids and antibiotics and the heart monitor-"

"No," Alec growled.

"You agreed that you'd listen to me," Ben said. "We only came here because of that agreement."

"The heart monitor Ben? Really?" Alec said, finally sounding like he had some life in him again.

"Yes, really," Ben said. "Alec…I've been trying to get you to wake up for the past 15 minutes. You're lucky we're not already at the hospital."

"But we're home, right?" Alec asked, sounding pitiful again.

"Yeah Alec, we're home," Ben said. "Now, c'mon, I want to get you inside while you're still conscious."

"Ok…"

"C'mon brother," Ben said, lifting Alec's torso from the backseat. Alec let out a tortured groan and practically went boneless in his arms. "C'mon Alec, you gotta stay with me," Ben said. "Please, just stay awake a little while longer."

"Hurts…" Alec managed.

"I know…I know it does," Ben whispered. He carefully slid Alec to the edge of the seat with his legs outside of the door, his feet on the floor. "I'll grab your pillow and your blanket, and I'll set everything up in the Rec Room, ok? We'll get you back on your feet, and then we'll figure out our next move, ok?"

"My shoulder feels like it's on fire…" Alec admitted. "But I'm still freezing…"

"Ok…um, don't worry, ok? We have all the supplies we need here," Ben said. "I'll take care of everything." He really wished Dad or Uncle Sam was here. He hated taking care of his brother by himself because if he messed up, then the most important person to him would be dead and it would be his fault. He took a deep breath to help calm himself down and just focused on his brother. "We just need to get inside, and then you can rest," Ben said.

"I'm sorry," Alec said miserably. "I should've just listened to you…"

"Hey, it's just us, ok? We're in this together," Ben said. "We can do this, but I need your help. We have to get inside, and it'll be a lot easier if you help me." Alec nodded, so he got a good hold on his brother and got him out of the car. His brother sagged against him, but he managed to keep him on his feet. "I gotcha, just try to stay conscious, ok?"

"Ok…" Alec slurred.

He drug Alec inside and immediately headed for the rec room. They both breathed out in relief once Alec was on the sofa. He situated his brother to get him more comfortable, and then said, "I've gotta go get the supplies, are you gonna be ok for a minute?" Alec just nodded, which was more concerning than anything he could've said. Alec should've made some snarky remark about how they could survive two seconds without each other, not just nod back quietly that he'd be ok.

He shook himself to get back on track, and quickly ran out of the room. He grabbed Alec's things, his favorite sweatpants, his pillow, blanket, his sling, and the few pictures he kept under his pillow, and then he ran to the infirmary. He got enough supplies to clean out Alec's shoulder again, made up an IV bag, and grabbed the antibiotics that they had stocked up. On his way back to his little brother, he made a pitstop at the bathroom and soaked a washcloth to put on Alec's forehead since he was probably going to feel like he was burning up again soon. He was just about to walk back to his brother, but he stopped and ran over to Dad's room instead. He found a sweatshirt that his Dad liked to wear and added that to the pile too.

"Ok I'm back," Ben said, his arms full of supplies. He dropped everything onto the recliner before he walked back over to Alec. "Let's get your jacket off, ok? I need to clean out your shoulder again, which is gonna suck, but it should help." Alec just nodded again, which was going to drive him nuts if he kept it up, but he'd let him stay quiet for now. He frowned when he saw the blood on Alec's shirt. "Alec, why didn't you tell me you were bleeding through the bandages?" His voice sounded more frustrated than he meant, but he couldn't help it. Alec had let him drive for way too long while he'd still been bleeding.

"I didn't know," Alec breathed. He sounded so tired, and he wanted to give him a break, but he had to get his shoulder cleaned out again so he'd start healing.

"Ok, I gotta get your shirt off," Ben whispered, trying to remember that Alec did better with soothing words instead of accusations of not telling him something. He carefully unbuttoned Alec's shirt, thankful that he decided to just help Alec into a button up shirt instead of a t-shirt. Alec just let him move him around to get his shirt off, which meant his energy was about gone. He needed to find something to talk about or else Alec was going to pass out on him. "You think we should've had Alex and Claire come with us?" Ben asked. "I mean…they'd be safer here…" Alec just looked away from him and refused to answer. "Alec, I can't do this if you won't talk to me."

"This is our home," Alec whispered. "And…I'm hurt. I just want to heal up at home and I can't do that if they're here. Once I'm back on my feet, then we can call them and have them come here."

He smiled and nodded in understanding. Alec wouldn't let himself be weak in front of anyone except for him, Dad, and Uncle Sam unless he had no other choice. He was just thankful he made the list that Alec trusted. He got Alec's shirt off of him and carefully unwrapped the bloody gauze from his shoulder. "I'm going to clean this out again, ok?" Ben asked, knowing that keeping Alec in the loop was the best way to keep him cooperating.

"This isn't even that bad," Alec said. He smiled just a little since Alec was finally trying to reassure him that he was ok. That was more like his brother.

"Y'know, it wouldn't be that bad if you hadn't just gotten over the seizures," Ben said as he worked.

"I don't feel like the seizures are coming back yet," Alec said, pain clear in his voice.

"But you'll tell me if you feel like they're coming back, right?" Ben asked to make sure.

"I'll tell you," Alec whispered.

"Hey, just stay awake a little bit longer, ok Alec?" Ben said. "I know it hurts, but once I get this cleaned out, it'll be better." Alec whimpered in pain, but he was almost done. He grabbed the trashcan when Alec suddenly turned, and luckily he knew his brother well enough to get the trashcan in time for him to throw up. "I'm almost done," Ben soothed. He wrapped Alec's shoulder again, and then walked over to his pile of supplies.

"What all did you get?" Alec asked weakly, still trying to stay awake for him.

He grabbed Dad's hoodie, the IV bag, the washcloth, and Alec's sling before he walked back over. "I got Dad's hoodie for you," Ben said with a smile. Alec's eyes lit up, which made him feel a lot better. He carefully got Alec into the zip-hoodie, and even though it was too big for him, he still looked a lot more comfortable.

"Y'know, this actually isn't Dad's hoodie," Alec said as he gently laid him back again.

"Dad's always had that hoodie," Ben said with a frown. He put the washcloth on Alec's forehead, and then rolled up the left sleeve of the hoodie.

"It's actually Uncle Sam's hoodie," Alec said. He looked up in surprise, but then looked back at Alec's arm. He got the needle in his brother's vein, and then hung the IV bag on the lamp that was near Alec. "Dad stole it from Uncle Sam a long time ago, and never gave it back."

"How d'you know all this?" Ben asked.

"Dad told me," Alec said. "He wore it a lot when Uncle Sam went to Hell. We were living with Lisa and fake Ben, and he'd wear it and hold me, so I could get some sleep."

"Fake Ben?" he asked with a smile. Alec had never told him any of this, and he wanted to keep him talking since he wanted to know more.

"Yeah," Alec said. "The other Ben. Not you."

"Ok, so Dad wore it a lot then?" Ben said.

"Pretty much every day," Alec said. "I couldn't sleep, so he'd wear it and it'd make me feel better. He hasn't worn it for a long time…"

"He wore it a lot when he found you again," Ben said, getting up again and walking over to the chair. Maybe Alec would keep talking if he gave him some space. Alec had never talked about when Crowley had kidnapped him, not even to Dad. Crowley had made some comments over the years that kind of hinted at what had happened, but Alec had never talked about it.

Alec smiled a little and nodded, "Yeah…he did…"

That wasn't a very good bridge to get to more answers. "Alec…you know you can talk about it if you want to…" Ben said. He grabbed the pillow and blanket to help him look busy, hopefully giving his brother an opening to actually talk about this.

"I don't talk about that," Alec whispered.

"I know."

"I don't even talk to Dad about this," Alec said.

"It might help to talk about it," Ben said.

"It happened years ago, Ben, it's not a big deal," Alec muttered.

"You still have nightmares about it," Ben said. "That's not nothing…"

"Ben…can't you just baby me and act like I can't do anything?" Alec asked. "I don't wanna talk about this."

He swallowed hard, but finally nodded and brought the rest of the supplies over. "I think you should wear the sling for a while," Ben said. "It'll help keep your shoulder stabilized, and it should help it heal."

"Ok," Alec said.

He carefully got the sling on his brother, and then got the pillow under his head and covered him with his blanket. "How's that?" Ben asked.

"It's good," Alec said tiredly.

He walked back over to the chair and grabbed the pictures that he'd taken from Alec's bed. "I brought these too," Ben said, walking back over to his brother and handing the pictures to him.

A real smile lit up Alec's face as he took the pictures and looked through them. "Thanks Ben."

He smiled too and sat down in the recliner, "I'll still be here when you wake up."

Alec nodded, and then was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

 _2011_

 _He woke up when Alec whimpered, and he looked over to see his brother shaking a little more than he usually was. Alec was a little more used to him now and had decided they could be brothers, but he didn't want to be 'buddy-buddy'. Alec's words, not his. It did make him laugh a little when Alec had said it, and even though Alec didn't want to be 'buddy-buddy' with him, he didn't show it because he talked to him a lot more now. He never talked about anything super deep with him, but he still liked to talk a lot._

 _But he knew Alec having seizures again meant that he needed to get Dad. He quickly ran out of their room, since they were staying at Bobby's house again, and ran to Dad's room. His Dad woke up as soon as he ran in, so he said, "Alec's about to have another seizure."_

 _"Ok buddy," Dad whispered. "Can you go get some milk, his pills, and the heating pad?"_

 _"Do you want me to get Uncle Sam too?" Ben asked._

 _"No, I think we've got this," Dad said with a reassuring smile._

 _He nodded and quickly went to get everything Dad said, but he slowed down when he went back to his and Alec's room._

 _"Hey kiddo," he heard Dad whisper to Alec. "I know, I know," Dad soothed when Alec whimpered again. "Here you go, I gotcha. Shhh, everything's gonna be ok." He could hear Alec crying, so he didn't know if he should go back in or just let Alec have some time with Dad._

 _"D-daddy…" Alec cried._

 _"I know baby, I know," Dad whispered. "Ben's bringin' some milk, your pills, and a heat pad, ok?"_

 _"O-o-ok," Alec stuttered._

 _He quickly ran back inside since Alec was waiting for him and smiled a little when Dad gave him a proud smile. Dad was wearing a hoodie now, which looked really soft and warm, and Alec was snuggled as close to him as he could get. "See, everything's gonna be ok," Dad said, nodding for him to come over and sit next to him. He got up on the bed next to Dad and held up the milk and the pills. "Ok, you gotta help me out a little," Dad said to Alec. "You need to take some more pills before you fall asleep again."_

 _"Ok," Alec breathed._

 _Dad got Alec to take some pills and drink the milk, and then just held him and ran his hand through his hair for a while. "How 'bout you two sleep with me tonight, huh?" Dad asked after a while._

 _"Ok," Alec said again. He just nodded since he wanted to sleep with Dad too, but he didn't want Alec to get mad. He knew if Alec said no right now, then he'd either have to sleep in here by himself, or go sleep with Uncle Sam._

 _Dad stood up with Alec held against him, grabbed Alec's blanket, and made sure he was following before he walked back to his room. He got the heating pad set up for Dad, and then sat next to him and Alec on the bed again while Dad wrapped Alec up in his blanket._

 _"Alright, who's ready for bed," Dad said, slowly getting under the covers again. He got under the covers too, but he was actually on Alec's side instead of Dad's side. Usually whenever he and Alec got to share with Dad, they were always on either side of him._

 _Alec fell asleep really fast once Dad put the heating pad on him. He rubbed Alec's shoulder to try to help comfort him, but he quickly pulled away when he saw Dad was looking at him._

 _"He's ok," Dad reassured. "I don't think he's gonna have a seizure tonight."_

 _"Dad…why isn't the shaking going away?" Ben asked softly. He was worried about Alec. He'd never had a brother before, and even though Alec didn't want to be 'buddy-buddy', he thought someday they could be really good friends. He didn't want to lose his brother before they even got to be friends._

 _"His body's just not resetting like it should," Dad said. "He's still trying to catch up from going without his pills for so long."_

 _"I wish he could be ok again," Ben said. "He talks to me more when he's ok."_

 _"We'll get him back," Dad said. "He just needs some more time to get back all the way. He's been having more good days than bad, so that's a good sign."_

 _"I like having a brother," Ben whispered. He'd been so alone after escaping Manticore, he'd almost regretted doing it. But then Dad found him and gave him a home. He was even happier when Dad found Alec again, and even though Alec hadn't liked him for a long time, he still knew it would be nice to have a brother again. His unit had been a family, and he liked having a family again._

 _Dad smiled and reached over Alec to rub his shoulder, "I'm glad you two are getting along better. You need each other." He nodded and snuggled further under the covers. "Get some sleep, ok?" Dad said._

 _He fell asleep after that, but when he woke up, it was just him and Alec in Dad's room. Alec was snuggled against his side now, but he wasn't shaking as badly as he had been before._

 _Alec slowly woke up a few seconds later, but he groaned in pain and turned against him more._

 _"You ok?" Ben asked softly._

 _"Yeah…" Alec breathed._

 _"I can go get Dad again," Ben suggested._

 _"No…no, I'm ok," Alec said. "Just d-don't move…"_

 _"Ok," Ben said. He tentatively reached out and rubbed Alec's shoulder again. His brother didn't move away from him, which was a good sign. "Dad said we could stay here another day if you wanted. Dad said we could go to the creek or play with some of the toy cars I found the other day," Ben said._

 _"M-maybe we could just w-watch movies today?" Alec asked, looking back at him with tired eyes._

 _"I love watching movies," Ben said with a smile. He actually didn't care about movies, but Alec liked watching them, so he would like watching them too._

 _"No you d-don't," Alec said with a small smirk._

 _"No," Ben agreed. "But I'd be ok watching movies all day if that's what you want to do."_

 _"You w-wanna hang out w-with me?" Alec asked, surprised._

 _"Just because you don't want to be 'buddy-buddy', doesn't mean that I agree," Ben said. "Now, c'mon, let's get to watching movies. I'm still behind on all the movies you and Dad watched before Dad found me."_

 _Alec looked away from him, but he could see the smile he was trying to hide. "Yeah, alright, but I want a m-milkshake and I want the good p-pillows, ok? And I get to p-pick the movies and eventually I'll want p-popcorn and I think you should sit on the s-sofa too since you really need to p-pay attention. And it's the best seat to actually s-see the TV, but you'll just have to d-deal with me sitting on the s-sofa too," Alec said. He didn't stutter as much since he was focused on listing his demands instead of thinking about his seizures._

 _"Alright, but I don't want your feet on me," Ben grumbled, knowing Alec liked it when he got to argue a little._

 _"You'll just have to deal w-with feet," Alec said._

 _He got up and waited for Alec to move, but asked, "So, what are we watching?"_

 _Alec reached out to grab his shoulder when he lost his balance, and he quickly wrapped his arm around Alec's waist. "Considering what w-we do, you h-have to see Ghostbusters," Alec breathed. He knew Alec was in pain, and moving made it worse, so he needed to somehow keep his brother distracted._

 _"How does that have anything to do with what we do?" Ben asked even though he already knew._

 _Alec rolled his eyes but stopped moving and looked back to the bed. He knew what Alec wanted, so he quickly grabbed Alec's blanket and pillow before he supported his brother again. "Obviously the Ghostbusters h-hunt ghosts," Alec said, slowly moving again now that he had what he wanted._

 _"Oh…I see," Ben said, amused. They were at the stairs now, which he knew was going to be a problem, but they both froze when they saw Dad at the bottom of the stairs._

 _"Boys?" Dad asked in surprise. "Alec-"_

 _"We got this D-daddio," Alec said._

 _Dad chuckled and shook his head, "Alright. But you wanna tell me where you're goin'?"_

 _"We were gonna watch Ghostbusters in the living room," Ben said. "Alec said he wanted a milkshake, the good pillows, and eventually he'll want popcorn."_

 _Dad smiled and slowly nodded before he asked Alec, "Is there anything else on your list of demands?"_

 _"And I get to put my f-feet on Ben if I want to," Alec said._

 _"Alec-"_

 _"I'm ok with it," Ben quickly cut off as they slowly made their way down the stairs. "I agreed because Alec said he'd share his favorite blanket with me."_

 _"I d-did not!" Alec argued._

 _"Yes, you did," Ben said._

 _"I remember you b-begging to sit on the s-sofa with me, and I only agreed b-because you said I could put my feet on you," Alec said. "My f-feet are always cold anyway, and you agreed."_

 _"That sounds like I get to share the blanket too," Ben said. They were almost to the bottom of the stairs, he just had to keep his brother talking a little while longer._

 _"I d-don't know," Alec said._

 _"I have your blanket though…" Ben pointed out._

 _"Alright, f-fine," Alec grumbled. "We can share the b-blanket too."_

 _Dad looked relieved when they made it to the bottom of the stairs, but said, "I'll get the movie set up and get you some snacks, you two just hang out on the sofa, ok?"_

 _"Ok," he and Alec said at the same time._

 _He helped Alec get comfortable, and then sat next to him. Alec did put his feet on him, but he didn't mind. He just wanted to hang out with his brother._

* * *

Present

"Dean!" Sam yelled when he saw his brother go down. He didn't know what the Hell these things were, but they were outnumbered and now Dean was hurt. They had to take off, but he had to kill these things first.

He looked up in alarm when the ground shook signaling the return of the big monster. They hadn't seen it yet, but they knew to run when the ground started shaking. All the monsters ran, which meant this thing was too much for them to handle.

"Sam," Dean breathed to get his attention.

He looked back to his brother, but saw that the monsters that had been attacking them had all disappeared. "C'mon, we gotta get out of here," Sam said, running over to his brother. Dean's side looked like it was shredded, blood already soaked his shirt, and there was a puddle on the ground under him. He got his brother to his feet and practically drug him away from where they were. He knew they couldn't get far, but Dean could make it a little ways before he passed out.

"Sammy…"

"I know Dean, just hang in there for a little while longer," Sam said. "Think about Ben and Alec, ok? They need you and I need you, so you gotta hang on."

He breathed out in relief when he saw something that looked like a cave. That would give them some protection as long as something else wasn't already living there. He quickly headed for the cave, and then set Dean down, so he could make sure nothing else was here. He cleared the cave before he brought Dean inside. He was definitely worried now since Dean was barely conscious and wasn't even complaining about what he was doing.

He wished that everything was fine now that they were in the cave, but he still had to stop the bleeding and patch his brother up before he lost him for real.

He pressed hard against Dean's side and tried to come up with the best way to do this. "Dean, talk to me, talk about the boys, anything to stay awake, ok?"

"I miss 'em Sammy…" Dean slurred. "I just wanna see 'em one more time…"

"Dean, we'll see them again, but you gotta hang in there, ok?" Sam said.

"A-Alec's prob'ly having nightmares…" Dean breathed. "And B-Ben's prob'ly not sleeping…too worried 'bout Alec…"

"You know Alec's probably driving Ben crazy," Sam said, thankful when Dean smiled a little. "And Ben's probably pushing Alec's buttons on purpose."

"Prob'ly right…"

"Can't wait to see them again," Sam said. "When they took off on me, and you were gone, it was the worst. I went crazy looking for them."

"'M sorry Sammy…"

"Hey, we both agreed it was better that they weren't there," Sam said. The bleeding was starting to slow down, which was good since he didn't know what else he could do for his brother out here. "You still with me?" Sam asked when his brother was starting to be too quiet.

"Yeah…" Dean breathed.

"Good," Sam said. "Me and the boys need you."

"'M not goin' anywhere Sammy…"

* * *

 _2013_

 _"Ben!" Dean yelled, seeing his boy go down under the assault of vampires. He was struggling against four others, so he couldn't go help his little boy. He took a hard hit before he was shoved against the tree, his vision almost swimming and blacking out at the edges._

 _He heard a menacing growl and nearly breathed out in relief when Benny came out of nowhere. He went to help Ben just like he wanted him to. He kicked back one of the vamps that were attacking him, and then sliced off another one's head. He looked up in surprise when the third one was pulled away from him thanks to Cas, and then it was easy to take out the last one._

 _He sprinted over to where he'd last seen Ben, and thankfully his little boy looked up at him as soon as he saw him. He didn't like the blood leaking from his little boy's neck and from his arm and shoulder and side…_

 _"Dad…" Ben breathed._

 _"Hey buddy, I'm right here," Dean reassured._

 _"I'm sorry," Ben said, tears leaking down his cheeks. "Daddy, I'm sorry…there were too many…"_

 _"Hey, it's ok, everything's ok," Dean said, gently wiping Ben's tears off his cheeks. "We just gotta get you cleaned up a little, ok?"_

 _"I wanna go home…I want my brother…" Ben sobbed against his chest._

 _He felt a pang of actual pain through his heart when Ben said that because he missed Sam and Alec so much and because Ben missed them and now Ben was hurt and he wanted his brother and there was nothing he could do to make that better. "We'll make it back to them," Dean said. "We just gotta keep going, and then we'll be back before you know it." Ben just cried more, and as much as he wanted to hold him and comfort him until he felt better, he couldn't. They had to keep moving, which meant he had to patch Ben up and get him back on his feet. "C'mon, I need you to help me out," Dean said. "We need to get up and get going…"_

 _Ben stood up, but swayed when he was standing, so he quickly picked him up. He had tried not to pick Ben up or carry him since they were in Purgatory, but he forgot how comforting his boys were when he was holding them. He held Ben as close to him as he could, and Ben wrapped his arms around his neck and held on like his life depended on it._

 _"We'll just try to make it to the water, ok buddy? I want to get away from here, but if you start feeling worse, tell me, ok?" Dean said._

 _"Ok…" Ben whispered._

 _"Brother, we might need to patch him up here," Benny said, walking up next to him. "We might not have enough time to get to the water."_

 _"We need a place to stop," Dean said, rubbing Ben's back like he used to. He hadn't felt like a Dad in a long time and he missed this. He missed having his boys. He didn't want to have to worry about Ben every second of every day, but he had to since otherwise his son would die._

 _"Dean-"_

 _"We need to stop," Dean growled. "We need to rest. We're human, ok? Me and Ben need a break, so you two need to find a place and keep watch for a few hours."_

 _His two friends finally nodded, and they started looking for a safer place to stop. He knew there was no such thing as a safe place in Purgatory, but there had to be something at least halfway safe to stop at for just a couple hours._

 _"Dad…I'm feeling worse…" Ben mumbled._

 _"Ok buddy, we're stopping," Dean said. Benny and Cas set up a sort of lookout, so he and Ben could rest, and he could hopefully stop the bleeding. He sat Ben down, and then kneeled down in front of him, holding a mostly clean piece of cloth against Ben's bleeding neck. "Don't worry kiddo, I'll get you patched up in no time," Dean reassured._

 _"Don't call me kiddo," Ben whispered._

 _"What? Why? What's wrong with 'kiddo'?" Dean asked, confused._

 _"You call Alec 'kiddo', not me," Ben said. "I'm 'buddy', Alec's 'kiddo'."_

 _He swallowed hard and barely nodded before he focused on Ben's neck again. "I didn't mean to call you Alec's nickname…" Dean muttered. "I'm sorry."_

 _"It's ok," Ben said._

 _"I've tried not to think about Sam and Alec," Dean admitted. "I'll start missing them too much and lose focus. And I can't lose focus here because otherwise, we're not gonna make it out of here."_

 _"What do you think they're doing?" Ben asked._

 _He sighed since he should've known that his little boy would want to talk about this more as soon as he brought it up. "I hope they're just doing normal things," Dean said. "I hope Alec's in school and Sam has a real job and maybe they're living in a nice place, not some shitty motel room…"_

 _"I hope so too," Ben whispered._

 _"We'll find a way back to them," Dean said. "I know we will."_

 _"I'm glad they aren't here," Ben said. "Alec would talk too much and he'd be too loud."_

 _He chuckled and gently brushed Ben's dirty hair to the side. They really needed to make it to the water again to try to get clean again. "I know you miss your brother," Dean said. "And I'll make sure you get back to him."_

* * *

 _"Uncle Sam…"_

 _He could hear someone say his name, but he was still too asleep to figure it out. He felt someone poke him, but he still didn't wake up._

 _"Uncle Sam…"_

 _He finally managed to get his eyes open a crack because he could tell whoever was saying his name was about to start crying. He wanted to hit himself when he saw his nephew sliding off his bed and slowly walking to the door._

 _"Alec," Sam said, stopping the little boy from leaving. "I'm sorry, I'm awake." Alec didn't turn around though, so he stood up and walked over to Alec and scooped him up. His nephew clung to him and sobbed against his neck as he walked back to bed. He should have known it was Alec trying to wake him up since this happened every other night._

 _He got under the covers again, holding Alec as close as he could. He'd tried rubbing his back in the past, but that just made him cry harder since that's what Dean had always done. He'd tried ruffling his hair, but that made it even worse. All he could do was hold Alec when he was like this._

 _"Alec do you want to watch TV for a while?" Sam asked. Sometimes it was better to stay up for a while until Alec fell asleep against him._

 _"No," Alec mumbled._

 _"Ok, what if I went and got your blanket?" Sam suggested. Alec nodded just like he knew he would. Dean had stolen that blanket from a motel when they'd first gotten Alec and it had gone everywhere with them since. Dean hadn't even let Ben use it when Alec was missing because he'd said it was Alec's. He'd gotten Ben his own blanket later, but Alec had always had the same one._

 _He stood up again, taking Alec with him, and walked over to Alec's room. He didn't know why he bothered getting a two-bedroom house when he knew Alec wouldn't use his room. It was just wishful thinking that Alec would use the room. He grabbed Alec's blanket and wrapped it around his little boy before he went back to his room._

 _He tucked Alec in next to him, wishing for the millionth time that his brother was here. Alec needed his Dad. The kid had been through too much as it was, he didn't need this too._

 _"We'll get you Dad and brother back, Alec, I know we will," Sam whispered, brushing Alec's hair back._

 _Silent tears rolled down Alec's cheeks, but he did nod, so he knew he was listening. He kissed Alec's forehead before he slowly fell asleep again._

* * *

Present

"So, what's the deal here," Jody asked Bobby as he led them to the camp.

"The deal?" Bobby growled.

"Why's this place destroyed?" Jody clarified. Mary and Jack were walking behind her and Bobby, but none of them had any idea how far they were from the camp, where the boys were, and what world they were even in.

"It's apocalypse now, what's it look like," Bobby grumbled.

"Did anyone else come through before us that didn't know what was going on?" Mary asked. "Like maybe two teenage boys, or two older boys, tall, handsome boys?"

"Their names are Alec, Ben, Sam, and Dean," Jack said.

"Never heard of 'em," Bobby said. "But there was this fly-boy that came through a while back. Angel, but didn't act like any angel I'd ever met. He helps our side now."

"What's his name?" Mary asked.

"Goes by Cas," Bobby said. "Wears a trench coat."

"He's from our world," Mary said. "Any idea where he's at?"

"No clue. But if you're lookin' to get outta here, he's got no clue," Bobby said. "Just as stuck as you are."

"And you're sure no teenagers came through before us?" Jody asked. She hated thinking about the possibility of Alec and Ben alone, which made her think about Alex and Claire and just made her feel worse. Those kids needed someone around even though she knew all of them could take care of themselves. They needed people around who loved them because that's what they'd been missing for a good chunk of their lives.

"I'd know if random teenagers ever showed up," Bobby said. "There ain't many kids left. Rare to see one walkin' around."

"The boys are twins," Jody said, praying there was just some hope that she could find the boys. She didn't necessarily want them to be in this world, but not knowing where they were was worse. She really hoped the boys were back in the real world with Sam and Dean, but things didn't work out like that in this life. She didn't know if there were other worlds out there, but there were already more worlds than she thought there were, so anything was possible at this point.

"There definitely are no twins here," Bobby said.

"Ok, so tell us what's going on," Mary said. "If we're going to be stuck here, then we're going to need to know."

"Angels took over the place after the fight with Michael vs Lucifer," Bobby said. "Michael won, which turned out worse than we could've thought. Destroyed half the world, killed off most of the humans, but we're the resistance, even though it's a crap-shoot."

"But you know where Cas is?" Mary asked.

"He's at the camp probably," Bobby said. "Unless he went out again."

"And how far away is the camp?" Jody asked.

"We've still got a good hike left," Bobby said. "Better keep movin' too. Angels won't stay away forever…"

* * *

 _2016_

 _"Boys! Pack your shit," Dean yelled down the hall. "We're headed to Jody's."_

 _"I wanna drive," Alec yelled back._

 _"We'll see," Dean mumbled under his breath as he walked back over to Sam. Claire had called, which meant they needed to go. He'd told her that he had her back, and he was definitely going to prove it._

 _"Please tell me you're not letting Alec drive," Sam whispered. "Or Ben. Neither of them are very good at it…"_

 _"Hey, they just started learning a few weeks ago," Dean quickly defended. He knew his boys weren't good at driving yet, but they'd get there. Their first time actually driving had been on that Were-pyre case, but they were already better than they were then. They just needed more practice. He grabbed his stuff, and then ended up tossing the keys to Alec even though he knew it was going to be rough._

 _"I get to drive?" Alec asked with a wide smile._

 _"Yeah, you can drive for a couple hours, and then Ben can take a turn," Dean said, ruffling Alec's hair._

 _"Yes!" Alec said. He took off to catch up with Ben before he held up the keys in victory._

 _"I can't believe you caved," Sam grumbled._

 _"C'mon, you know he's happy," Dean said._

 _"If I throw up, it's on you," Sam said._

 _"Whatever. My boys are gonna be the best drivers after this," Dean said._

 _"If you say so…" Sam muttered._

 _The boys actually did a lot better at driving this time around. They still had a few scares when Alec was driving because he kept talking too much instead of staying focused on the road, and Ben started out so nervous they nearly got into a wreck, but by the end they both figured it out. He still wouldn't be letting them drive without him for a while, but maybe eventually they could._

 _They were sitting in Jody's living room now, waiting for Jody to get home. Claire had let them in, but Alec had immediately decided to update her on every hunt they'd been on since they'd last seen each other, and Claire was more than happy to tell Alec about her own hunts. Ben hung around Alec, but he could tell his boy still didn't know how to talk to her since he liked her._

 _He and Sam both looked up when the front door opened, and Jody walked in carrying bags of groceries._

 _"Well, there goes the neighborhood," Jody said with a smile. "Hi."_

 _"Jody," Sam said, quickly getting up to give Jody a hug. "Hey. Let me help you out."_

 _"Oh thank you!" Jody said, giving Sam the bags. Jody looked at him next and held her arms open for a hug._

 _"Boys!" Dean called out before he walked over and gave Jody a big hug. "It has been too long."_

 _"Hey Jody!" Ben and Alec said at the same time, running in and slamming into Jody. He smiled since the boys always loved visiting Jody._

 _"Holy crap," Jody said, stepping back to take a look at the twins. "You two shot up like weeds…" They were both about as tall as Jody now, and they were still growing. He just prayed they would never get taller than him because then he would never hear the end of it._

 _"Hey, they're not the only ones who look different," Sam said. "'Cause Alex, that is you, right?"_

 _"I don't look that different!" Alex argued._

 _"It's amazing what you can accomplish when you spend two hours in the bathroom every morning," Claire said from the doorway._

 _"Since when are you even up in the morning," Alex said. "I'm surprised you're awake now."_

 _"Hey! I'm pretty sure the guys didn't come here to watch you two kill each other," Jody said to the girls before she looked at him again. "Is everything ok? I didn't accidentally butt dial you anything, did I?"_

 _"I called," Claire said. "About the monsters. That you refuse to believe are monsters."_

 _"Oh…you gotta be kidding," Jody said. "You know, if you'd check in with me, I could have saved you a trip."_

 _"Well, we figured we owed you a visit," Dean said._

 _Jody looked at him for a few seconds before she said, "You know what, actually…I could use the backup." He didn't like the sound of that. She moved to Sam and took the bags back, "Let me have that." She started walking out of the room towards the kitchen, "I'm gonna put another chicken on. You settle in."_

 _"You might wanna make it two," Dean called out."_

 _"Or five!" Alec added on._

 _He chuckled and messed up Alec's hair before he walked back to the sofa and sat down. It wasn't long before the delicious smell of food filled the air and they were at the table eating._

 _"Mmmm…this bird is fantastic," he mumbled around a mouth full of food. "When you mix it up with the…potatoes and the…the beans, you guys eat like this every day?"_

 _"It's just chicken," Jody said._

 _"It's shaped like chicken!" Sam said. "Not a patty, or a nugget!"_

 _"Plus, the boys haven't said a word since the food hit the table," Dean said, looking at his boys. They were both stuffing their faces with as much food as they could. He wished he could feed them like this all the time._

 _"Can we get to the case?" Claire asked impatiently. He and Sam just looked at her while they both ate more food. "Three people are missing," Claire said._

 _"There is no evidence that they didn't skip town on their own," Jody immediately argued. "Two of them were runaways, one was a homeless guy."_

 _"He was last seen at Braden Point," Claire said. "I've been staking it out."_

 _"Right," Dean said, reaching over his brother to get a big spoonful of mashed potatoes._

 _"Dude," Sam complained._

 _"There's plenty left," Dean grumbled. "Braden Point?"_

 _"It's where the kids go to make out, and yes, there's about four pounds left on the stove," Jody said._

 _He and Sam shared a look, and then he shoved another huge forkful of potatoes in his mouth. "Guys. There's something out there," Claire said, trying to get them back on track. He and Sam just kept eating. "People are reporting animals they've never seen before, things stalking their front yards that disappear…"_

 _"This is according to the – Hey!" Jody said, pointing at Alex suddenly, who was trying to sneak her wine glass away. "Put it back!" Alex reluctantly put the glass back. "…Neighborhood crime blogs that Claire has been reading."_

 _"They're eye-witness accounts," Claire corrected._

 _"Well, we've hunted on less…" Sam said._

 _"What else you got?" Dean asked, not completely convinced. He didn't want to leave since he loved being at Jody's house and getting fed, but he wasn't dragging his boys through a bogus hunt. He wanted the boys to get a break for a while._

 _"Uh, I'm working on it…" Claire said._

 _"Claire did catch a werewolf," Alex said. "Oh right! Turned out to be a German shepherd with rabies."_

 _"And before that was the vampire," Jody said. "Councilwoman into erotic cosplay. I didn't know what cosplay was before that. Super embarrassing for the whole force."_

 _"Wow…You've been busy," Dean said._

 _"I've been hunting," Claire said._

 _"AKA menacing innocent people," Jody said. "Claire has a whole string of assaults racked up. The only reason she's not sitting in jail right now is that I'm the sheriff!"_

 _"Fine, I've been wrong," Claire said. "But this time, I know there's a monster."_

 _"Can we stop talking about monsters, and hunting?" Alex asked. "What about real life?"_

 _"Real life?" Claire said. "Ok. Yeah, sure. Let's get real. You and Henry set on a weekend yet?"_

 _"What?" Alex asked in alarm._

 _"When you're sneaking off to Jody's cabin to screw yourself sill?" Claire asked with a smirk._

 _"Oh boy…" Dean muttered. He looked between Alex and Jody and knew this was getting even more awkward._

 _"Um, we're not…" Alex stuttered looking at Jody before she glared at Claire, "You're completely insane!"_

 _"You might wanna clear your g-tracks before you commit to that," Claire said._

 _Sam started to get up, which he thought was a terrific idea except he wanted to keep eating at the same time… "This seems like…uh…family business," Sam muttered._

 _"Sit! Stay!" Jody ordered. Sam immediately sat down again, even though it was very clear they should probably go. Alec and Ben were even paying attention now since they could tell things were getting awkward. They were still eating, but they were paying attention too. "Um…" Jody said, clearing her throat. "Alex, anything you want to say?"_

 _"Nope," Alex said, eyes locked on the table._

 _"Kay, uh, well, um, I may have…I've…definitely seen birth control pills in your backpack," Jody said._

 _Alex looked embarrassed and his boys were looking at him to see what they should do. "C'mon boys, let's-"_

 _"Dean!" Jody warned._

 _"Ok," he said, shutting up._

 _"Oh my God…" Alex muttered._

 _"Hey, if we can't talk about it, we shouldn't be doing it, right?" Jody said, looking at them. He had no idea what to say. He had boys for crying out loud. He'd had the talk with them already and it wasn't nearly this awkward. "Right?" Jody asked again when they didn't say anything._

 _Sam just started stuttering, and he said "What?"_

 _"Ok. I'm not gonna tell you that you are too young to be having sex," Jody said. "Or you," she added, looking at Claire._

 _"Who's she gonna have sex with, she doesn't talk to anybody," Alex said._

 _"Hey," Jody warned. "Um, what I will tell you is that birth control pills are useless against STD's. Whoever you are with needs to suit up! Every time. Always. No pulling up the drawbridge early."_

 _"I know I get it!" Alex said._

 _"And don't expect the guy, as much as I love Henry, to always show up packing," Jody said. She looked at them again and asked, "Am I right?"_

 _"Hey, I gave the boys the talk already," Dean said, finally finding words to say. "Boys…"_

 _"No glove, no love," Alec quickly said._

 _"Wrap it before you tap it," Ben said._

 _"Cage the snake then shake and bake," Alec said._

 _"Safe sex or no sex," Ben said._

 _"See they know the talk," Dean said, giving his boys a proud smile._

 _"Seriously?" Jody asked._

 _"Stop!" Alex said before anyone else could say anything. "We haven't done anything yet. I'm just…trying to be prepared."_

 _Jody was quiet for a few seconds before she said, "Great, um, we need some more mash potatoes, right? Mashed potatoes, I'm just gonna…" Jody drained her glass of wine, and then stood up, "I'm gonna get some more potatoes."_

 _Jody left the room, leaving them in an awkward silence. "Boys, eat up," Dean said, standing up to follow Jody._

 _"Nice ambush in there," Dean said once he was in the kitchen._

 _"Hey, you guys crashed my pad first," Jody said._

 _"Well, you know, I thought we were going to be helping you with monsters, not birth control," Dean said._

 _"Welcome to my world," Jody replied. "I mean…don't get me wrong, I love those girls, but…man, I am hanging on by my fingertips. The last guy Claire pegged as a monster, she held a sword to his throat. He is hell-bent on pressing charges."_

 _"Alec went through a phase," Dean said, hoping to maybe help a little bit with his own experience raising kids. "He would sneak out and look for hunts since I kept trying to make him stay in the car or at the motel."_

 _"So, what you're saying is, I shouldn't try to keep her from hunting," Jody said._

 _"No, I'm just telling you what worked for my kid," Dean said. "Keeping him from hunting made it worse because then he snuck out behind my back. I can't watch out for him if I don't know where he is."_

 _"What about real world stuff?" Jody asked._

 _"Boys are a lot easier than girls," Dean muttered. "It was easy giving them the talk. And Sam deals with school."_

 _"What about friends?" Jody asked._

 _"Alec makes a lot of friends and Ben goes where Alec goes," Dean said with a shrug. "It's not perfect, but we've come up with a system that seems to work. Thankfully though, whenever they have an issue it's never as awkward as that…"_

 _"Like you said, giving boys 'the talk' is easier than girls," Jody said. "And those two actually belong to you. You're their Dad. You have history with them and they know they can talk to you. I don't have that with Claire and Alex."_

 _He was quiet for a minute, thankful that he was Alec and Ben's Dad and that they trusted him. "Well, we can talk to Claire," he said. "And we'll get her to settle down."_

 _"And maybe get Alec to talk to her about something other than hunting," Jody said. "I'm glad they're friends, but he is so not helping."_

 _"Alright, I'll talk to him," Dean said with a chuckle._

 _"And maybe the boys could go to school for a few days?" Jody asked. "Keep and eye on Alex, show Claire it's ok to go to college because the Winchesters do it too?"_

 _"That's gonna be a little more complicated…" Dean muttered, thinking of all the failed attempts at getting the boys in school…Alec fighting, Ben trying to teach the class instead of the teacher, food fights, pranks, detention, and then the never-ending questions from parents asking about sleepovers and extracurricular activities, and that was all before any social worker could contact him about any injuries the boys got on whatever hunt they were on. Schools just weren't their thing. "Neither of them go for the whole school thing…"_

 _"Dean, c'mon, a few days won't kill them," Jody said._

 _"I don't know, if there are monsters here, it might," Dean teased. Jody gave him an unamused look, so he said, "I'll talk to the boys, see if they wanna go."_

 _"That's all I'm asking," Jody said with a smile._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	17. Chapter 17

_Sorry for the long wait, but this chapter has flashbacks from Season 9. Hope you like it!_

* * *

Chapter 17

Present

"Alec…what're you doing out of bed," Ben mumbled, finally finding his brother in the garage. He'd woken up to find his brother missing, which was never a good sign. He'd moved their mattresses into the rec room since neither of them could stand being in their room knowing that their Dad and Uncle's rooms were empty. He'd pushed their mattresses together, so he would know if Alec needed something when he woke up. "I've been looking everywhere for you…"

"I couldn't sleep," Alec said. "And you never said I had to stay in the rec room."

"I thought it was pretty obvious that you needed to stay in bed until you healed," Ben said. "I didn't think I needed to spell it out for you."

"Apparently you're wrong as usual," Alec said with a smirk.

He clenched his jaw in annoyance but decided yelling at Alec wouldn't get him anywhere. He had to think like Dad to get Alec to do what he wanted. "What are you even doing anyway?" Ben asked, deciding that changing the subject would be better.

"I'm fixing Dad's car, what does it look like I'm doing?" Alec said.

He took a deep breath to keep himself calm, but his brother was an idiot. He was working on Dad's car with his right arm still in a sling for crying out loud. He was just asking for the seizures to start again. "Alec," he sighed, getting ready to calmly try to reason with his brother, which was going to take a ton of energy.

"I don't feel the seizures coming on, so don't waste your breath," Alec cut off.

"How 'bout I waste my breath telling you that you shouldn't be working on the car with just one arm?" Ben shot back. "Because you shouldn't be! You should be in bed resting! The sooner you get back to 100%, the sooner we get Dad and Uncle Sam back. We need Dad and Uncle Sam here, so we can figure out the rest…like your seizures."

"Shut up about the seizures Ben," Alec breathed.

He knew Alec was tired of talking about it, but what else were they going to talk about. They needed to figure out Alec's seizures and they needed to get Dad and Uncle Sam back. Beyond that, he had no idea what to do. "Then rest," Ben said. "Rest and get back on your feet so I don't have to talk about the seizures."

"I just wanted to fix Dad's car," Alec said, sounding exhausted.

"Why now?" Ben asked.

"Because I couldn't sleep," Alec admitted. "I thought maybe I could work on Dad's car for a while, and then I'd be able to sleep."

"Or you'd get so tired that you'd have a seizure and I wouldn't be able to find you until it was too late," Ben said.

"Ok, I should've told you where I was going," Alec muttered. "But…Dad's car should be fixed when we find him…"

"But you still could've waited until you healed up a little more," Ben said.

"You wanna help me?" Alec asked to change the subject. "This is kinda hard to do with just one arm…"

"You know I don't know how to fix the Impala like you do," Ben said with a small smile. Alec always helped Dad fix the Impala, and as much as he wanted to help too, that was something that he let his brother share with Dad by himself. He was pretty sure the only time Alec and Dad hadn't fixed the car together was when he and Dad had been in Purgatory.

"But I could still use the help," Alec said. "I can tell you what to do and it shouldn't take very long. We just have to get the dents out…or maybe I should just replace the whole panel…" Alec frowned and looked at the Impala again. "Maybe I should just wait until we get Dad back…I don't wanna mess up his car more…"

He sighed since he knew this was coming; Alec always thought he messed everything up, and he wasn't sure why since Alec always seemed to actually make things better, but that's how his brother was. "Why don't we go back to bed and think about the car later," Ben suggested. "The car still runs just fine, so we can fix it after you've healed up some more."

Alec was quiet for a few minutes, but then said, "I wish Dad and Uncle Sam were here…"

"Me too," Ben agreed. Alec suddenly swayed a little, so he quickly blurred over to him to help steady him. "C'mon, let's go back to bed. We can be mechanics in a few days, ok?"

"Ok…" Alec mumbled.

"I'll get you some more pills too," Ben said. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but we have to make sure your seizures don't come back. We're not gonna get very far with anything if they come back, so help me out a little here."

"Alright, alright," Alec grumbled. "I'll follow all your stupid rules…"

He rolled his eyes, but they were slowly making their way back to the rec room, so he wasn't going to complain. And he knew Alec wouldn't follow the rules he laid down for long because that's just how his brother was. At least he didn't leave the bunker.

* * *

 _2014_

 _"Dad's gotta be around here somewhere," Alec muttered as they walked through the halls of the bunker. "Do you think he's been acting weird? He seems weird to me…"_

 _"Ever since the trials Dad and Uncle Sam have both been weird. He's been really weird around Cas and something happened when Charlie was here." Ben said. "Dad's hiding something from us."_

 _"Which is why we should find him and ask him about it," Alec said. He didn't like thinking that Dad would hide something from him. He knew Dad only hid things from him when he was trying to protect him, but it still made him mad when he did it._

 _"Alec, he's probably not telling us for a reason," Ben said._

 _"I know, but I still don't like it," Alec grumbled. They walked through the bunker until they finally found Dad and Kevin in a room painting sigils all over the walls. "What the hell…" Alec breathed, just taking everything in._

 _"Shit," Dad grumbled. "I thought you boys went to town…"_

 _"We did…" Ben muttered distractedly. "We walked there and back. We were gone for a couple hours…"_

 _"You two need to go," Dad said. "We're tryin' something here."_

 _"What?" Alec asked with a scowl. "Kevin's new painting talents? Sorry Kev, but I don't think you're gonna be able to sell these…"_

 _"These might be enough to power down an angel long enough to talk to the person they're possessing," Kevin said._

 _"Might be?" Dad asked._

 _"I only had a little time to read through it," Kevin said. "But when you activate the sigil, then it should give you a few minutes to talk to whoever it was possessing."_

 _Dad nodded as he thought for a few seconds and then walked towards them. "Ok, time for you guys to go."_

 _"Dad, we can help," Alec protested._

 _"You'll need someone to watch your back," Ben said._

 _But Dad wasn't budging. He got the two of them out of the room, got Kevin out of the room, and then shut the door, so none of them could be in the room. "Go hang out somewhere else, ok? Just for a little while. Just get out of the Bunker until I call you," Dad said._

 _He was just about to argue, but Ben grabbed his arm and said, "Ok, we'll go somewhere else."_

 _Dad didn't look like he really believed that they were going to go away, but he must've really been in a hurry because he just nodded. Ben kept his hold on his arm and led him back into the map room. He waited until he knew for sure Dad wouldn't be able to hear him to chew his brother out. Kevin was still there, but Kevin was used to the two of them arguing. "Are you serious? 'Ok, we'll go somewhere else'? What the hell, Ben! How're we gonna figure out what's going on if you just agree to leave as soon as Dad says so?!"_

 _"You know Dad wasn't going to tell us," Ben said. "At least if we say we'll go somewhere else, he won't question it and we can stay here."_

 _"What do you think?" Alec asked, looking at Kevin._

 _"Dean's acting weird," Kevin said. "We should probably stick around just in case…"_

 _"He wants to power down angels to talk to the person they're possessing?" Alec asked. "Why?"_

 _"He said something about getting the person to kick the angel out," Kevin said. "But he wasn't making a lot of sense."_

 _"Maybe we should just sneak back to the store room…" Alec muttered. "We're not gonna find anything out sitting in here…"_

 _"Alec, you know Dad will lock us in our room if we try to go back there. We just need to stay here for a little while," Ben said._

 _"I don't want to stay here for a little while," Alec grumbled._

 _He did eventually sit down, but he still wasn't happy about it. He wanted to know what was going on and why Dad was acting so weird. He just wanted to know what was going on, and he wanted to help._

 _"Hey Sam," Kevin said suddenly, standing up. Uncle Sam walked in, heading straight for Kevin. He was walking weird, very robotic looking. "Hey, do you notice anything a little bit off about Dean lately? We're worried about him."_

 _"Don't worry about Dean. Dean will be fine," Uncle Sam said, but it didn't sound like Uncle Sam._

 _He looked over at his brother and saw that he looked just as concerned as he was._

 _"Kevin!" Ben yelled, looking back at Kevin and Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam had his hand on Kevin's head, and then a white light came out of Kevin's eyes._

 _"No!" Alec yelled, jumping up to try to stop this from happening, but Kevin's body was already falling to the floor. He tried to tackle Uncle Sam, but he was easily thrown into the wall. He saw Ben get picked up and slammed into one of the tables, breaking the glass, so he pushed himself up again and ran at his Uncle._

 _He tried to punch him, but he was hit first. He went down hard, and then was slammed against the wall, his Uncle's hand around his throat, cutting off his air. He struggled to get free, but he was losing consciousness fast._

 _Ben managed to get himself together enough to get up and help his brother. He used his elbow to try and knock his Uncle unconscious, but that just seemed to annoy him. Uncle Sam released Alec, who collapsed, and turned to him instead._

 _"Uncle Sam, it's me," Ben said. "It's your nephew, Ben."_

 _"You are not part of this," Uncle Sam said, sounding slightly robotic, very unlike his Uncle. "Just let me leave and you and your brother will live."_

 _"Please, this isn't you," Ben begged._

 _"I am not your Uncle, I am Gadreel," Uncle Sam said. "There is no more Sam."_

 _"What?" Ben breathed._

 _Alec came out of nowhere and tried to attack again, but whatever, or whoever, Uncle Sam was, he was better than the two of them. Alec was thrown onto the map table, and he could tell that one really hurt his brother. He ran forward when Uncle Sam started over to Alec, but his Uncle threw out his hand, and suddenly he was flying backwards. He knew he was out of the fight as soon as he hit the wall. The back of his head hit the cement, and he was out._

 _He tried to get up, but he could hardly breathe, and he knew that if he got up it would just get worse. But he couldn't let whatever had his Uncle get away. He managed to push himself off of the map table, but his legs were weak, which meant he wouldn't be standing for long. He took one unsteady step towards his Uncle, but then fell to his knees._

 _Uncle Sam slowly walked over to him and put two fingers on his forehead. "Uncle Sammy?" he said brokenly. Uncle Sam just shook his head before he was out._

 _Dean ran in just in time to see Sam put his fingers against his son's forehead and knock him out. "No!" Dean yelled. He was immediately thrown back until he hit the wall. His eyes filled with tears when he saw his boys, both hurt, the map room destroyed, but he couldn't stop the tear that slipped free when he spotted Kevin, dead on the floor._

 _"Sam?" Dean asked, seeing his brother putting some things in a bag._

 _"There is no more Sam," he said. "But, I played him convincingly, I thought."_

 _"How did you…"_

 _"I heard you talk with Kevin Tran tonight," Sam said. "Alter a sigil…even the slightest…Alter the spell." Sam…or not Sam…slung the bag onto his shoulder and headed for the door. He stopped though and put something on Kevin's chest. "Sorry about Kevin, but ultimately…it's for the best. I did what I had to."_

 _The angel possessing his brother left, releasing him from the wall. He ran over to Ben first because that was who he was closest to. His oldest son was breathing, but he knew he needed to go to the hospital. He was bleeding from shards of glass in his back, which he could take care of here, but he also had a head injury, which would need to be checked out._

 _"I'm gonna check on your brother, and then I'll get you to the hospital," Dean whispered, brushing Ben's hair back. He reluctantly moved away from Ben, but he needed to check on Alec too, and then he had to make sure Kevin was really gone. He tried not to think about it as he went over to Alec._

 _His youngest son was barely breathing, and he didn't know if it was from the broken ribs, and possible punctured lung, or if it was from a possible crushed windpipe. "I'm so sorry," Dean forced out. This was all his fault. His boys were hurt because of him, and Kevin was gone. How could he be so stupid… "I just need another minute, and then you're both going to the hospital," Dean whispered. He moved over to Kevin, but he only confirmed what he already knew. Kevin was gone, and it was all his fault._

* * *

Present

"Alright, try to drink a little," Sam soothed, helping him sit up slightly to get a drink from their makeshift cup. His side was killing him, he was alive, but he felt like maybe dying would have been better. Except, he'd never see his boys again if he died here, and that would leave Sam alone in this place. He wasn't going to do that. He drank a sip before Sam carefully lowered him back down. "I caught a lizard too, so I'm trying to make a kind of lizard soup…" Sam said.

"Yum…" he breathed.

"Hey, you were the one who liked the lizard," Sam gently teased.

"Yeah but…you're the one…who is cooking…this time," Dean whispered.

"All I'm doing is cooking the meat, and then putting it in water to heat it up," Sam said. "It'll probably taste decent, or at least edible…"

"Sam…I probably won't…be able to…eat much anyway…" Dean said.

"That's ok. I just need you to try to eat a little bit," Sam said. "And I still have to cook it, so you can rest while it cooks."

"We need…a plan to get…out of here," Dean whispered. "Not gonna make it…very much longer…"

"Dean, hang in there, ok? I'm trying to come up with anything I can to get us out, but you gotta hang on," Sam said. "I got the bleeding to stop, but I know you need more blood and antibiotics and fluids. You need a hospital, I know that, but you just gotta hang on and I'll find a way out."

"Sammy…"

"Or the boys might beat me to it," Sam quickly cut off. "Those two are the smartest two people I know. Ben escaped Manticore with his unit, and then survived on his own for almost two years before we found him. And Alec escaped Manticore by himself, crossed the United States, and somehow found us when he was barely nine-years-old. If anyone can find us, it's them. And you know how pissed they're gonna be when they get here and find out you died?! I'm not letting that happen again, so you have to hold on."

"Alright, alright," Dean breathed. "Stop yelling…"

"Sorry, I just don't want you to give up," Sam said.

"I'm not giving up…I'm just…I'm barely hangin' on here…" Dean admitted.

"I know," Sam said.

"Talk about something…else," Dean said. "Need a…distraction."

"Ok…um…you wanna know what me and Alec used to do when you guys were in Purgatory?" Sam asked. He nodded since he just needed something else to focus on and he didn't care what it was. Besides, he liked hearing about Sam and Alec's time at being normal even though he'd hated it once he and Ben had gotten back. "I got Alec enrolled in school, which, as you know is a terrible idea," Sam said.

He chuckled, but quickly stopped and said, "He got kicked out…of two schools that…first year we had him."

"Yeah and I should've known this time would be even worse since he didn't even have Ben with him," Sam said. "But I thought it would be good for him to get out of the house for a while, try to make friends or at least stop researching for a few minutes. I walked him through the entire school, we met his teacher, he played outside for a few minutes with the other kids. He actually seemed to like it that first day, so I'm not sure what happened."

"Fighting or backtalk?" Dean asked, knowing his son. The first school they'd enrolled Alec into only lasted two weeks because he wouldn't stop fighting with the other kids. The second school lasted almost two months, but he kept getting suspended because he kept correcting the teacher. He'd gotten expelled since he went overboard and went on a 30-minute rant about how incompetent everyone in the school was and used a total of 79 curse words during that rant. He let Sam take care of the punishment for that one since he had been laughing too much to even try to keep a straight face.

"Neither," Sam said. "I know usually he got kicked out for fighting or correcting the teacher, but this time he just refused to do anything. He wouldn't participate in class, he wouldn't play at recess, and he refused to do any of the school work. I watched him do the homework one night and made sure it was in his backpack, but his teacher called and said he didn't turn it in. I asked him and he said he threw it away."

He sighed even though this happened a long time ago. But he hated it when Alec refused to do anything. He could handle the fighting and the backtalk all day long, but when Alec got depressed, he just stopped. He wouldn't talk or move or do anything, and he just didn't know how to handle that. Ben was good at talking Alec out of his moods, just like Alec was good at getting Ben out of his moods.

"Yeah, he was depressed," Sam said, guessing what his sigh meant. "So, I pulled him out of school. I homeschooled him even though he was already onto college courses, but he actually seemed to enjoy it. I think it was really the only time Alec enjoyed school because every time he got bored, I just moved on to something else. He got to pick what we learned, he didn't backtalk since he knew I wouldn't take it, and we sparred every few days to get rid of his energy. Plus, I would reward good behavior by letting him research all night if he wanted to."

"Smart," Dean breathed.

"He's a good kid. They both are," Sam said. "I hated it when you and Ben were in Purgatory, but I liked taking care of Alec. I always felt like I was on the sidelines for those first three years, but after that, I felt like I could take care of both of them."

"You're good at taking…care of them," Dean said. "You're like a Dad…to them too."

"We make a good team, huh?" Sam said. "I think they've got a good balance even though they never had a Mom."

"I think so too," Dean whispered.

"You wanna try this soup now?" Sam asked.

"Alright fine…" Dean muttered.

Sam helped him eat a little bit of soup, and he had to admit it wasn't half bad.

* * *

 _2014_

 _He sat between his boys, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. His brother was in the wind with an angel possessing him, Ben was in a coma, Alec was being forced to breathe by machines, and Kevin was dead. He'd burned Kevin's body after Alec and Ben had gotten out of surgery, and then had come straight back to the hospital._

 _The doctors weren't being very optimistic about their conditions. Ben had swelling in his brain. They'd done brain surgery for a brain bleed, and then had put him in a coma to try to help him recover. They kept telling him that it was likely his son would wake up again once they took him out of the coma, but they kept telling him that he could have major deficits. They weren't sure if he would have memory loss or any loss of motor functions, but they kept telling him that he needed to prepare himself._

 _Alec's lung was damaged, and he'd had serious internal bleeding. They told him that his heart had stopped twice during the surgery, and they thought they were going to have to bring him back into surgery once he was stronger. He knew his boys could handle a lot, but he was afraid this time was too much. Not only were they seriously injured, but these injuries had come from someone they trusted and loved. If he was able to get Sam back, he didn't know if his boys would ever trust him again, which would kill Sam. He would have to explain to his boys that this was his fault, and even though it would probably kill him, he needed to make sure they would hate him instead of Sam._

 _"Dean?"_

 _He looked up in surprise when he heard his friend's familiar voice. Cas was standing in the doorway, looking way more like himself than he'd looked since the angels fell. "Cas," Dean said, standing up and forcing a smile before he hugged his friend._

 _"What happened?" Cas asked in concern, looking at the boys. "I went to the Bunker…Did something get in?"_

 _"I messed up," Dean replied brokenly. He walked back over to his chair and nearly collapsed onto the seat._

 _"Are they ok? Where's Sam?" Cas asked. He walked over to Alec and gently put two fingers on his forehead._

 _"You got your mojo back?" Dean asked._

 _"I still can't heal them," Cas said. "I want to, but it's against the angel code."_

 _"Cas, please, they're gonna die," Dean said._

 _"Alec still has fight in him," Cas said. His friend moved over to Ben and put two fingers against his forehead too. He held his breath, just praying that Ben still had some brain function. He could deal with deficits, but he wouldn't be able to handle deciding if he needed to take his son off of life support or not. And if Ben was taken off of life support, then Alec would lose the little fight he had left. "Ben too," Cas finally said. "They both are fighting to stay alive, and with their systems, they should be able to come back from this."_

 _"You sure you won't heal them?" Dean asked just to make sure. It would make it so much easier on them, and he wouldn't have to figure out the seizures when they showed up. He knew for a fact that Alec would have them, and he was guessing with how injured Ben was that he would have them too, and seizures were just going to make them that much worse._

 _"Dean…even with heaven's gates closed, I still can't," Cas said. He nodded in understanding but didn't say anything. "Where's Sam?" Cas asked after a few seconds of silence._

 _"He's gone," Dean said._

 _"What-"_

 _"I let an angel possess him because he was dying after those trials," Dean said. "I didn't know what else to do…And he said it was the only way to save Sam, and I believed him. Now Sam's gone, and the boys are hurt…and Kevin's…"_

 _"Dean, I'm sorry," Cas said._

 _"Yeah, well…Sorry don't pay the bills, does it?" Dean grumbled. "It sure as hell ain't gonna bring Kevin back. We gotta find that son of a bitch."_

 _"Dean, if the angel possessing Sam isn't Ezekiel, then who is it?" Cas asked._

 _"A dead man walking," Dean muttered._

 _"What, you're gonna destroy him?" Cas asked, clearly not believing him._

 _"Damn right," Dean said, even though it wasn't true. He wanted to save his brother, not kill him. But he didn't even know how to find Sam, let alone get the angel to stop possessing him. Plus, he had his boys here in the hospital. How was he going to leave them to find Sam?_

 _"You kill an angel, its vessel dies too," Cas said._

 _"Think I don't know that?" Dean growled. "If I don't end Sam and that halo burns him out and I…God, I was so damn stupid."_

 _"You were stupid for the right reasons," Cas said._

 _"Yeah, like that matters," Dean muttered. He reached over and gently held Alec's hand, hating himself for hurting his boys, for hurting Sam, for killing Kevin. They trusted him, and he let them all down._

 _"It does," Cas stated. "Sometimes that's all that matters." He refused to look at his friend and instead moved his gaze back over to Ben. "Listen to me. Sam is strong. If he knew an angel was possessing him, he could fight. He could cast the angel out."_

 _"Maybe," he said with a shrug. "But as far as I know, he's in the dark. I don't know how we clue him in. Plus, I can't leave the boys while they're like this…"_

 _Cas was quiet for a few seconds, but then asked, "Do you remember Alfie?"_

 _"The kid angel? Yeah. Why?" Dean asked back, confused._

 _"Before he died, he told me the demons were able to dig into his mind, access his coding. We might be able to do that here. Might be able to…to bypass the angel and talk directly to Sam," Cas said._

 _"And you think that would work?" Dean asked. If he could get Sam back, then maybe he could find a way to make everything right._

 _"I don't know, but I think we should try," Cas said._

 _"I still can't leave the boys here alone," Dean said. "They'll freak out when they wake up and I'm not here. And Alec's gonna have seizures and I'll have to be here to tell the doctors what to do."_

 _"Is there anyone you can call to stay with them?" Cas asked._

 _He rubbed the back of his neck, but then slowly nodded, "I can try to call Jody…She's watched the boys for me before, she knows about their seizures…I just don't feel right leaving them…"_

 _"Sam's getting further away," Cas said. "The longer we wait, the harder it'll be to get him back."_

 _He slowly got up, but said, "Stay with them. I'll try to call Jody."_

 _He watched to make sure Cas was actually going to stay since he wasn't going to let them be alone in here. Cas and the boys hadn't always got along since the angels weren't supposed to like creatures not created by God, but Cas had always broken the rules. He still wouldn't heal them, but he was like another uncle to the boys. Cas sat down in the chair he'd just vacated and reached out to either side to hold Ben and Alec's hands._

 _He walked a little down the hall and dialed Jody's number, praying that she would be able to help him out._

 _"Hey Dean," Jody answered after a few rings._

 _"Jody…"_

 _"What happened?" Jody asked. Obviously he wasn't doing a good job of sounding alright._

 _"I messed up," Dean said, leaning against the wall, and then sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. "I…I need help…"_

 _"Where are you?" Jody asked._

 _"Kansas," Dean whispered. "The…boys…my boys are hurt."_

 _"Dean, I'm on my way, ok?" Jody reassured. "Where's Sam?"_

 _"Sam…he's, um, he's not here," Dean said. "But I gotta find him…but I need someone to stay with the boys…"_

 _"How bad?" Jody asked softly._

 _"Ben's in a coma and Alec can't breathe by himself," Dean said, quickly wiping away the tear that had fallen down his cheek._

 _"Dean, I'll be there, I'm on my way," Jody said. "Hang in there, ok?"_

 _"Thanks Jody."_

* * *

Present

"We're under attack!"

It was chaos as soon as they made it to the refugee camp. Bobby quickly led them somewhere to take cover, but everyone else was fighting. She looked to Jody, who nodded back. They couldn't just hide here and wait for whatever was attacking them to kill them. They had to fight to stay alive and find a way to get back to their world.

"We need weapons," Mary yelled to be heard over the gunfire. Bobby looked at her like she was insane, but he had to know that they needed to protect themselves.

"Alright…follow me," Bobby grumbled.

He quickly led them over to another area, and she grabbed a gun and so did Jody. They both made sure Jack didn't touch the guns, but she looked at him and made sure he knew to stay right with her. None of them could die while they were here because they had to find a way back to her boys, and even to Dean's boys. They couldn't die here.

She looked over at the other refugees and saw that they were shooting at what looked like meteors flying towards them. The meteors would hit the ground though and become people, which they still shot at, and some of them would go down while others just kept coming. Angels, they had to be.

She quickly followed their lead and shot at anything that didn't look like a refugee. Bobby looked over at her, impressed, when she hit one of them out of the sky.

They all had to scatter though when one of them crash landed right behind them, blowing chunks of dirt and debris everywhere. She quickly rolled out of the way, and then back onto her feet before she looked around for where Jack and Jody were. Jody was helping Jack back up to his feet while Bobby covered them. It looked like they were both ok, so that was good.

She had to run away from them after a second because two Angels were coming at her. She shot one of them, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to bring it down. Two more landed in front of her suddenly, making her skid to a stop and let the other two get even closer to her.

She shot one of them in the head, making it go down, so headshots it was. She wished she could get an Angel blade since she was going to have to fight hand-to-hand in a minute. She shot another one before the last two made it to her. She kicked back the first one, but immediately went down when the other one hit her. She turned and shot at it, hitting its shoulder, so she shot at it again, but she was out of ammo.

She quickly turned and kicked out the first one's knee before she tried to get up, only to get pulled back down again. The Angel pulled back, ready to deliver a killing blow, but then froze as an Angel blade was shoved through its chest, killing it.

Her eyes widened in shock as Cas was revealed when the Angel he'd killed fell to the ground. He immediately moved away from her, and then took out the first Angel, killing it for good.

"Mary?" Cas asked in confusion when he finally spotted her.

"Hey Cas," Mary said, quickly getting back to her feet.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" Cas asked quickly. "Sam and Dean? Where are they? And Alec and Ben? Are they here too?"

"It's just me, Jody, and Jack," Mary said. "I don't know if the boys are all back in our world or not. But we'll have to figure it out later."

Cas nodded, and then quickly ran off to go fight another Angel.

They were in an alternate universe, but at least they had found Cas.

* * *

 _2014_

 _"Dean, you're on speaker," Jody said._

 _Her voice was a little muffled, but he felt a little better knowing Jody was around for some reason. He hurt. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to just be alive, but he couldn't remember what happened, or why Dad was on speaker phone instead of being next to him._

 _"How are they?" Dad asked. His Dad sounded tired and defeated, and he almost wanted to wake up, but he didn't want to talk, and if he woke up, then Dad would want to talk to him._

 _"They took the tube out of Alec's throat," Jody said. "He's still on oxygen, but they don't think he'll have to have another surgery yet. If he has a seizure though, then that might make things worse…"_

 _"That's good about the tube," Dad whispered._

 _"And they're going to bring Ben out of the coma tomorrow," Jody said. "They were a little more optimistic today, but they still told me to prepare for deficits." Dad didn't say anything, so Jody asked, "Did you find Sam?"_

 _"Yeah…um…Crowley…" Dad stopped, and he could tell he was trying to hold back tears. "If Alec wakes up before I can get there, tell him I'll be there as soon as I can, ok? He's not gonna be happy, but as soon as we get Sam back, I'm comin' right back. Make sure you tell him. And call me as soon as he wakes up. They took the tube out, so it shouldn't be long. And reassure him that I'll be there soon, and that Ben should be waking up. Don't mention the deficits he could have because that will just make him sick to his stomach. Has he had any seizures?"_

 _"Dean take a breath," Jody said. He could hear the small smile in her voice since Dad always freaked out when they were hurt. "Alec hasn't woken up yet, but the doctors also said that he should be waking up soon. He hasn't had any seizures, but as soon as he wakes up, I'll have him take his pills. But Dean, if he asks about his brother, then I'm going to tell him the truth. That boy has enough trust issues as it is, and it took a long time for him to trust me. I'm not messing that up now."_

 _Dad chuckled, "He called you the pro-zombie lady for a long time…"_

 _"See, I'm not going back to that," Jody said. "But I will call you when he wakes up. You get back to your brother."_

 _"Thanks Jody."_

 _It was quiet for a while after Jody hung up, and he could hear two different beeps that were almost in sync but were just a tiny bit off. It was his heartbeat and his brother's. They were in the hospital and Dad wasn't there…_

 _"You can wake up now," Jody said after a few minutes. "I hung up, so you won't have to talk, but I would feel better if you would wake up. And that way I can fill you in on what's going on with your brother." He slowly opened his eyes, but even that seemed to hurt. But he had to know what was going on with Ben, and maybe a little bit about why Dad was trusting Crowley to do anything, but he didn't know he could stay awake that long. "Can you nod, that way I know you can hear me," Jody asked._

 _"I can hear you…" he barely breathed._

 _"Ok, Ben is in a coma right now," Jody said, carefully putting her hand on his shoulder. "It's a medically induced coma, so he should wake up, but the doctors keep warning me that there might be deficits. They think memory loss will be the biggest thing, but they also warned me about loss of mobility or motor functions."_

 _He blinked a few times and looked over at his brother, who looked like he was just sleeping peacefully. "When…when will they know?" Alec asked._

 _"They were going to wake him up tomorrow," Jody said. "But you need to rest, you hear me mister. You are two steps away from going back into surgery and getting that tube back down your throat. So, here's what we're going to do. You are going to rest, take your pills, and use the oxygen mask. And you are not going to worry about Ben, your Dad, or your Uncle, ok?"_

 _He smiled tiredly and said, "If you think…I'm not gonna worry…you don't know me…"_

 _"I do know you," Jody said. "But I also know you don't want to have more surgery and worry your family even more, right?"_

 _"Right."_

 _"Ok, how about we call your Dad again, so he can hear your voice and worry just a little less," Jody suggested. "He sounded pretty torn up about something, and I know hearing from you would help him tremendously."_

 _"Yeah…call him," Alec said. "Tell him…I can't talk much…ok?"_

 _"I'll tell him," Jody reassured. She dialed Dad's number and put him on speaker phone again._

 _"Jody?" Dad asked in concern._

 _"Dean, Alec's awake," Jody said. "He can't talk much, but he wants to at least say hi."_

 _"Hey kiddo, can you hear me?" Dad asked, his voice shaky with tears._

 _"Hey Dad…I can hear you," Alec whispered. He looked over at Jody in concern though, since he didn't know if he was loud enough for his Dad to hear him._

 _"How ya feelin'? You ok?" Dad asked._

 _"I…I hurt," Alec admitted._

 _"I'm so sorry I'm not there, kiddo. I'll be there as soon as I get Uncle Sammy back, ok?" Dad asked._

 _"Ok…"_

 _"Alec…" It sounded like Dad wanted to tell him something important, but he stopped and was quiet for a minute before he said, "You just rest, ok? Rest and I'll be there before you know it."_

 _"Ok Dad," he whispered._

 _"I'll call again in a little while to check on you," Dad said. "Be good for Jody, ok kiddo?"_

 _"I will," he said, smiling a little since Dad was stalling to stay on the phone longer._

 _Dad took a deep breath, and was quiet again, but then said, "Alright, I've gotta go, but you go to sleep. I'll keep calling, but you just rest. I'll check in with Jody to make sure you two are doing alright."_

 _"Hey Dad," Alec whispered before his Dad could hang up._

 _"Yeah kiddo?"_

 _"Kevin…um…me and Ben tried to-"_

 _"Hey, all of this is on me," Dad said. "None of this is your fault, or Ben's or Uncle Sammy's. This is all me Alec. I screwed everything up, but I'm gonna try to make it right."_

 _"Dad-"_

 _"I've gotta go…You rest, ok kiddo? I'll be back soon," Dad said._

 _His Dad hung up before he could try to stop him again. He wanted to find out why Dad thought this was his fault and try to talk him out of it, but right now he was just too tired. He would try to convince him later when he was here. He knew once Dad was here it would be hard for him to leave them, so it'd be easier to convince him._

 _"Alright, you heard your Dad," Jody said. "You need to rest. I'll help you take your pills, and then you go right back to sleep, ok?"_

 _"Ok," he breathed._

 _He glanced over at his brother again just to make sure he was still ok, and then relaxed back against his pillow. They were going to wake up his brother tomorrow, and Dad should be getting back soon. He just needed to do what Dad said and rest, so he could recover enough to help however he needed to._

* * *

 _"Alec, I know it hurts, but they woke Ben up and he's asking for you," Jody whispered, gently shaking Alec's shoulder._

 _"Is he ok?" Ben asked. His voice was weak, and he was squinting because the lights were too bright, but he wanted to make sure his brother was ok. He wouldn't just take her word for it, he needed to be able to talk to his brother. "He should already be waking up…And where's Dad? Dad should be here. Alec's going to have seizures and Dad doesn't panic like I do when Alec has seizures…"_

 _"Ben relax," Jody said. "He's worn out and he's trying to heal. He'll wake up."_

 _"Has he had any seizures? What kind of injuries does he have? Where's Dad?" Ben asked._

 _"Your Dad is already on his way here with your Uncle," Jody said. "And Alec had surgery for internal bleeding and damage to his lung. They thought they were going to have to take him back into surgery, but so far their new plan is to just watch him to see if he'll still need surgery."_

 _"And no seizures?" Ben asked._

 _"No seizures," Jody said._

 _"Ok, see if he'll wake up," Ben said._

 _She frowned a little since she'd already tried waking Alec up once, but the doctors said Ben would probably be confused or have some memory loss for a while. She gently shook Alec's shoulder again and said, "Alec, Ben's awake and he wants to talk to you." She looked over at Ben and tried to reassure, "He woke up earlier, so he's still tired Ben."_

 _"Has he had any seizures?" Ben asked._

 _"Ben, try to go back to sleep," Jody said. "The doctors said that you'd be confused for a while, but it'll help to sleep."_

 _"I want to talk to my brother. You said he woke up before, so I need to talk to him to make sure he's ok," Ben said._

 _She sighed, but she hadn't known Ben as long as Alec. She knew the two of them would hardly ever split up, and if one was hurt, then the other refused to stop worrying until they were better. She knew Alec needed sleep, but Ben wouldn't rest until he knew for sure that Alec really was going to be ok._

 _"Alec, honey, wake up a little bit, ok? Ben's really worried and he won't go back to sleep unless he gets to talk to you," Jody said softly, brushing Alec's hair back from his forehead._

 _"Alec, wake up," Ben said, almost yelled…_

 _"What?" Alec mumbled, sleepy and confused._

 _"Wake up and talk to me," Ben said. "I gotta know you're ok before I can go back to sleep."_

 _Alec barely opened his eyes and looked over at Ben and slurred, "'M awake…"_

 _"How hurt are you?" Ben asked._

 _"I'll live…" Alec muttered. "Be down 'bout two weeks…three maybe…"_

 _"Do you remember what happened?" Ben asked._

 _Alec woke up a little more and shot back, "Do you?"_

 _"Alec…"_

 _"They put you in a coma," Alec said. "Tell me what all you remember."_

 _"I don't remember a lot," Ben admitted. "But we can worry about my memory later. What's going on here? Fill me in on as much as you can, and then I'll let you sleep again."_

 _"Something's wrong with Uncle Sam," Alec breathed. "Dad went to go find him because he took off, that's why he's not here right now. Whatever has Uncle Sam used him to kill Kevin. We tried to stop him, but he's how we ended up here."_

 _"I talked to your Dad a couple hours ago," Jody said. "He told me that he got Uncle Sam back and he's on his way here. It shouldn't be too much longer before he gets here."_

 _"He's on his way?" Alec asked hopefully._

 _"Yeah, he's on his way," Jody said. "We can call him and see where he's at if you want." Alec and Ben both nodded, so she dialed Dean's number. She smiled when she heard his ringtone coming down the hallway. Alec and Ben both smiled a little and looked to the door to see their Dad walk in._

 _Dean breathed out in relief when he saw both of his boys looking at him. He looked relieved, but she was concerned to see that he still looked defeated. She looked to the door, expecting to see Sam walk in behind him, but he didn't._

 _"Hey boys," Dean whispered._

 _"Hi Dad," Alec said._

 _"You two doing ok?" Dean asked, walking over to sit on Alec's bed. Dean quickly looked Alec over before he turned his attention to Ben. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner…"_

 _"Where's Uncle Sam?" Alec asked instead of answering Dean's question._

 _"Uncle Sam's back at the Bunker with Cas," Dean said. "He's back, but Cas needs to help him heal a little."_

 _"What happened?" Ben asked._

 _"I'll tell you all about it once you both rest a little more, ok?" Dean said. "Alec…you need some more pills, ok kiddo? Your hands are starting to shake…"_

 _She moved out of the way as Dean took care of his boys. He had Alec take some more pills and checked his injuries before he kissed his forehead and moved over to Ben. He helped Ben take some pills too, and then checked his head. He kissed Ben's forehead too and tucked them both in before he turned to look at her._

 _"Thanks for staying with them," Dean said, sitting down on Alec's bed again. "Sam's back and I wouldn't have been able to go if you hadn't stayed with them…"_

 _"Ben's had a few memory issues already, but I think he's gonna be ok," Jody said. "And I had an issue getting Alec to wake up, but he's worn out, so it should be ok. He told Ben that he'd be down for two or three weeks, which sounded honest to me."_

 _"As long as he doesn't have seizures, he usually bounces back fast," Dean said. "And Ben's memory is gonna suck for a while, but I think he'll be alright. He knew who I was, and he knew who Alec was, which is usually all he needs to start out with. Alec's good at filling him in on what he's forgetting until he can remember."_

 _"And Sam's ok?" Jody asked._

 _"Cas is gonna heal him," Dean muttered._

 _"Something else is going on though," Jody guessed. Dean looked away from her, confirming that something else was going on, but it looked like he wasn't going to talk about it. "Alright, unless you need me to stick around, I'm gonna head back to work."_

 _"Jody, thanks again," Dean said, getting up to give her a hug._

 _"You call me anytime you need it, ok?" Jody said. Dean nodded, but she could tell that he wanted to get back to his boys. "You know by number," Jody said on her way out. "And give me updates on the boys, ok? Have them call me when they're feeling better."_

 _"I will," Dean said._

 _She gave him one more wave before she left. She knew Ben and Alec would be ok, and whatever was going on with Dean would come out sooner or later. She just hoped he'd call her again if he needed her._

* * *

More soon...


	18. Chapter 18

_This chapter has a flashback from Season 5. Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 18

Present

"We have to call Crowley," Ben stated. He looked up from his bowl of soup and glared at his brother. "Don't give me that look," Ben grumbled. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but if you want to find Dad, then we need to talk to the only person who knows about alternate universes and right now, that's Crowley."

"You know how pissed Dad would be if he found out I was anywhere near Crowley?" Alec challenged. "He has a conniption if Crowley even looks at me. I think he'd have an actual heart attack if he found out we called him, especially while he wasn't here." He was just using Dad as an excuse since he really didn't like even being near Crowley, but he wasn't going to tell Ben that. He needed Ben to think Dad wouldn't want them to do this, so he wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Who else can we talk to?" Ben asked, thankfully not guessing the real reason he didn't want to call the demon. "The hunters we know wouldn't know about this, the angels want to kill us, we haven't found anything in the bunker that will help us…what else can we do?"

"I don't know, but we shouldn't call Crowley," Alec stated. He got up and walked out of the rec room even though he knew Ben would throw a fit.

And right on time, Ben ran after him and tried to reach for the bowl in his hand. "Alec, I told you I would get that once you were done…" Ben said.

He sighed dramatically but kept on walking towards the kitchen. "You said I could take off the sling, which means I'm healing, and we can stop freaking out about the seizures possibly coming back, and I can walk to the damn kitchen to clean up the bowl of soup that I agreed to eat," Alec said. "You can't keep me locked up in the rec room forever."

"I'm not keeping you locked up in the rec room," Ben argued. "I just wanted to try to limit your movement, so your shoulder would heal faster."

"Let me ask you a serious question," Alec said, stopping his determined walk to the kitchen to face his brother. "If you thought I couldn't make it to the kitchen, why did you bring up calling Crowley?"

"What?" Ben asked, confused.

"You want to call Crowley, but I assume you'd want me back to 100% for that since he'd probably just show up wherever we were anyway once we called him, but you won't even let me walk to the kitchen, so why'd you bring up calling Crowley?" Alec asked. Ben looked away from him, which made him growl in annoyance. "It's because you weren't going to bring me along to call Crowley, were you? You were just bringing it up, so I'd know where to start looking if things didn't go the way you planned."

"Alec-"

"That might just be the stupidest thing you've ever thought of," Alec said before Ben could explain. "What part of talking to Crowley by yourself did you think was a good idea?"

"I wasn't going to drag you into it," Ben said. "I didn't want to put you through working with Crowley because I know he scares you."

"Yeah because he tortured me!" Alec yelled. "He took me away from Dad, locked me up in a cell where I could barely move, and tortured me because he thought it was fun! Is that what you wanna hear Ben? Is it?" He threw the bowl against the wall causing it to shatter before he stormed off in the opposite direction.

"Alec, wait," Ben called out, running after him. His brother touched his arm, and he reacted without thinking. He turned and punched Ben as hard as he could in the face, making him stagger back and hit the wall.

He froze once he realized it really was just Ben who was there. Tears fill his eyes and he whispered, "I'm sorry," before he took off running. He didn't want to think about what Crowley had done to him, and no one had brought it up in so long that he could almost forget about it, but it was always there. He would always have nightmares about it, and he would never forget a single minute of what happened to him. He didn't think anything could be worse than Manticore, but this was. He'd been taken from his Dad and tortured, and that was definitely worse than Manticore. He didn't talk about it though because he didn't want to remember. He hoped if he buried it deep enough, then it would eventually go away, but he was wrong.

He didn't know where he was going until he ended up in front of Dad's room. He'd been avoiding Dad and Uncle Sam's rooms because it just made him sad to think about the fact that they were somewhere else, that they could be in danger and there was nothing he could do to help them. They could die before they figured out a way to get into whatever universe they were in, and then they'd be alone for real.

He swallowed hard, but slowly opened Dad's door. He could hear Ben's footsteps getting closer, so he quickly went inside and silently shut the door behind him. Ben wouldn't think he was in here, so maybe he could actually hide for a while without Ben finding him.

He walked over to the bed once he heard Ben run by the door and sank down onto the mattress. He used to always come in here when he had a nightmare, and Dad would wake up a little, but he'd be confused for a minute until he figured out it was just him. Then he'd pull the covers down on the other side of the bed and he'd go over and lay down and actually sleep the rest of the night without nightmares just because he knew Dad was there.

He kicked off his shoes and got under the covers, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

He searched the entire bunker for his brother, but he couldn't find him. He was just starting to think that Alec might've left when it dawned on him that he hadn't checked Dad or Uncle Sam's rooms. He knew instantly that Alec was in Dad's room, but he didn't know if he should actually go find Alec or not. He didn't want to make Alec mad again, but he still wanted to make sure he was ok.

He slowly walked back the way he came, giving Alec a chance to come find him if he wanted to, but he didn't. He should've just called Crowley without telling Alec, but he'd chickened out. He knew whatever Crowley had done to his brother was bad, and he didn't want to be put through the same thing, so he'd decided he'd tell Alec that they needed to call Crowley, and then when Alec refused, he'd just go off and do it by himself. He never planned for Alec to come with him when he called Crowley since he didn't want his brother near the demon anymore than Dad did. He just wanted to make sure if something did happen to him, then Alec would be able to figure it out if he had to.

But that had completely backfired. Alec didn't usually yell. He was always calm, or if he was upset, he'd try to cover it up with humor. He'd only seen Alec get really mad a handful of times, but that was usually when Dad or Uncle Sam was trying to do something stupid. He couldn't remember a time Alec had ever directed his anger towards him. Yeah, he didn't like him at first, they had been in more than one fist fight out of anger, and there have been times where Alec didn't know who they were and accidently hit them to try to protect himself, but he'd never seen him throw anything out of anger like that.

But that was the most he'd ever heard about the time Crowley had tortured Alec. He didn't even know if Dad knew about the cell where Alec could barely move. Maybe that's why Alec was claustrophobic…

He shook his head to try not to think about it, but he couldn't stop now that it was out there. He wondered how small the cell was, if Alec could lay down at all or if he had to sit a certain way all the time, how long would Crowley keep him in there, was he alone in the cell, was it dark, what happened when he wasn't in the cell…He kind of wished Alec hadn't said anything because now he wanted to know. He wanted to try to help his brother, but he knew Alec wouldn't let him. Alec wouldn't even let Dad help him with that.

He finally made it back to Dad's room, but he stood outside the door and listened to try to figure out what Alec was doing. He didn't hear anything, and he thought maybe he was wrong, and Alec actually did leave the bunker, but he carefully opened the door and saw that Alec was asleep in the bed. He smiled a little and shut the door again, so Alec could continue to sleep.

He walked back to the hall where the broken bowl was and cleaned that up since he knew that would be the first thing Alec did when he woke up again. Then he went to the kitchen and got out a bag of frozen peas that Uncle Sam always tried to get them to eat and carefully put it on his bruised jaw. He was lucky that he'd rolled with the punch at the last second, otherwise Alec would've broken his jaw. He wouldn't blame Alec either. He should've known better than to grab him while he was upset. Whatever Alec was going through, he would've felt the need to protect himself no matter what, and he should've known that.

But his jaw wasn't broken, so he'd just try to get the swelling to go down while he waited for Alec. He thought about going out now while Alec was asleep and trying to call Crowley, but he wanted to talk to Alec about it before he did. They were in this together, and he should've remembered that before he tried to cut Alec out of his plan, even if it was for his own good. He knew Uncle Sam hated it when Dad tried to do that to him, so he shouldn't have tried it on his brother.

He decided after a while that he should make Alec something, so he could try to get back on his good side. He didn't want Alec to be mad at him, and maybe baking him a pie would help. Uncle Sam showed him once how to do it, and he'd gotten supplies the other day to try to lift Alec's spirits, so he might as well try it.

He put everything together and put the pie in the oven before he sat down again and held a new bag of peas to his jaw.

He smiled a little when Alec slowly walked into the kitchen once the pie really started cooking. He must've been able to smell it and it woke him up.

"Ben…I'm sorry," Alec whispered with his head down. "I didn't mean to hit you…or throw the bowl…"

"Hey, it's ok," Ben quickly reassured. "I'm fine and who cares about the bowl. Only Uncle Sam will even notice one's missing." Alec smiled a little, like he couldn't help himself, before he looked sad again. "Why don't you sit down?" Ben suggested. "The pie should be done in a little bit, and then we can eat it while it's still warm."

"Ben…"

"I'm not gonna take no for an answer," Ben said. "The only other option is that I'll bring it to you wherever you want it, but I made the pie for you as my own apology." Alec finally looked up at him, so he said, "I shouldn't have decided to call Crowley by myself. It was a dick move and we're not gonna do it. We'll find another way to get Dad and Uncle Sam back."

"No, it was smart. I just overreacted," Alec said, slowly sitting down across from him. "I'm guessing I didn't break your jaw since you're talking to me…"

"It's just bruised," Ben said. "Nothing some frozen peas can't fix." Unfortunately, he didn't get Alec to smile that time, but his brother didn't look away from him, so that was good.

"What do you think Crowley's gonna know that he hasn't told us already?" Alec asked after a moment.

"He was giving us information, he knows about the other universes, so I figured he still has information that he was just gonna tell us when it worked for him," Ben said.

"It wouldn't work in his favor now since it's just us," Alec said. "In fact, it's probably a bad idea to call him in the first place since once he knows Dad and Uncle Sam are gone, then we're free game. We shouldn't let him know that until we don't have any other choice."

He nodded since that made sense, but then asked, "Then who else can we talk to?"

"I don't know…" Alec said. "But there's gotta be more than one way to get into another universe. A Nephilim can't be the only way in. It could be the easiest way, but not the only way."

"We've searched the bunker though, and the Men of Letters didn't know of alternate universes," Ben said.

"What about a spell?" Alec asked.

"The only witch we know is Rowena, and I don't know if she'll help us," Ben said. "Or if we should even go to her since she's still Crowley's mother…"

"And if she's even alive or dead right now," Alec said. "I can never keep track…"

He chuckled and nodded in agreement, "I guess we could call her instead. She might be willing to help if she is alive."

"She'd want something in return though," Alec said.

"And we don't have her number," Ben said. "So, there's that."

"So, we're back to square one," Alec muttered.

"We're not at a complete loss though," Ben said as he got up to get the pie. "We still have pie." Alec smiled and nodded. "We'll figure this out," Ben said.

Alec nodded again, and then said, "We should call Crowley. He could point us in the right direction and who says he has to know that Dad and Uncle Sam aren't here right now? We just tell him we snuck out or went rogue or something. It might work."

"And we can carve demon traps into some bullets, put him on lockdown right off the bat," Ben said, cutting the pie and putting two slices on two plates. He passed Alec his plate and watched as his brother took a bite of the pie.

"This is freakin' amazing," Alec said.

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, from now on, you should only make pie," Alec said. "Now, c'mon, let's make up a plan. I want this to be fool proof if we're gonna call Crowley."

* * *

 _2010_

 _"You getting a signal?" Sam asked as he drove down the deserted streets._

 _"No, nothing. Nice and spooky," Dean replied, thankful again that Alec was back at Bobby's house, safe from all of this. He didn't want to die and leave Alec all alone, but Alec could still have a life with Bobby if something happened to him and Sam. He wished he could get a signal though, and call to check up on his little boy, and let him know that he was ok too._

 _Ellen pulled up next to him and asked, "Place seem a little empty to you?"_

 _"We're gonna go check out the PD. You guys stay here, see if you can find anybody," Dean said._

 _"Ok," Ellen said with a nod._

 _He drove off, looking for the local police department since he was guessing that would be the place where the people would gather together at a time like this. He put his car in park and quickly got out to get back in the trunk. Sam walked up next to him, but they both froze when they opened the trunk and saw Alec curled up right where he wasn't supposed to be._

 _"Alec," Dean snapped, sounding a little too much like his own Dad. But seriously, he was trying to protect his little boy and he did the exact thing that he didn't want him to do. "I told you no."_

 _"I'm sorry," Alec said pitifully. "I just wanna help."_

 _"No," Dean growled. He picked Alec up and held him just to make sure he couldn't get away from him. It definitely was not because he was happy to see him and had missed his little boy in the tiny time they'd been apart. He took a deep breath to calm down, rubbing Alec's back to help him think. "Ok…ok this is what we're gonna do. We're gonna make sure that this place is really empty, and then we'll meet up with Cas and he'll zap you right back to Bobby's."_

 _"I don't wanna go back to Bobby's," Alec said._

 _"That's too bad," Dean said. "Because you don't get a choice on this one."_

 _"I don't want you to die," Alec stated, his voice raised almost to a yell, but not quite. He'd never heard Alec yell before, or even really get mad, so he needed to pay attention since this was important to Alec._

 _He kissed the side of Alec's head and whispered, "I don't want to die, Alec, I swear I don't. But I want you to be kept safe more, ok? I need to know you're safe, so I can do my job."_

 _"I wanna stay with you," Alec said, his voice wavering with tears._

 _"Hey, no tears, alright?" Dean said with a small smile. "You can help us check out the police station, and then Cas can take you back to Bobby's. Me and Sam will be there before you know it."_

 _"Do you have to put me down?" Alec asked softly._

 _"No, kiddo, I don't have to put you down yet," Dean replied. He looked over at Sam and saw that his brother was feeling the same things that he was. He was happy to see Alec, but he was scared and mad at the same time. He held Alec closer, rubbing his back and just trying to remember the warmth of his little boy. How could he be mad at him for being scared that he was going to die? Alec knew him, and trusted him, and even though he liked Bobby, he knew it wasn't the same._

 _He carried Alec into the police station behind Sam, silently thankful that the place was empty. He wanted to find out what was going on, but no people meant no threats, which meant Alec was safe. He walked back out and leaned against the Impala next to Sam, running his hand through Alec's short hair repeatedly. He didn't want to panic, but the sooner Cas could get Alec home, the better._

 _Ellen and Jo drove up after a few minutes and slowly got out of the car. "Seems like you've got a stowaway," Ellen said with a look of disapproval to Alec._

 _"Yeah, he's heading back to Bobby's now," Dean said. His arms tightened even though he knew it would be time to let Alec go soon. "But station's empty."_

 _"So's everything else," Jo said. She walked over to him and tried to silently convince Alec to give her a hug like he had the night before. But today he was glued to him, refusing to even turn a little bit to give Jo a hug._

 _"Have you seen Cas?" Ellen asked._

 _His heart dropped because Cas was Alec's ticket to safety, without him, Alec was going to be stuck here. "What? He was with you," Sam said, the panic clear in his voice._

 _"Nope," Ellen said. "He went after the reapers."_

 _"Reapers?" Dean asked._

 _"He saw reapers? Where?" Sam asked at the same time._

 _"Well…kind of everywhere," Jo said._

 _"There goes Alec's ticket to safety," Dean grumbled, looking over at Sam._

 _"So, new plan," Sam said. "We…uh…we gear up and look for him."_

 _"With Alec?" Dean asked. "Because we still don't know what's going on here, oh, except Lucifer is in town and it looks like a freakin' ghost town."_

 _"We can't leave him in the car," Sam said._

 _"I don't wanna stay in the car," Alec suddenly piped up. "I wanna stay with you."_

 _"Only until we find Cas," Dean said. "And you have a new set of rules that you have to follow, ok?"_

 _"Ok…"_

 _"Rule number one, you hold my hand the whole time, unless I tell you to run," Dean said. "Rule number two, you run when I tell you no matter what is going on. And rule number three, if something happens to me and Sam, you make your way back to Bobby's house, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Alec whispered._

 _He kissed Alec's head again, and then said, "I gotta put you down, but you hold my hand, ok?"_

 _Alec reluctantly let go of his neck and slid to the ground, but then quickly grabbed his hand with his tiny little hand. Sam gave him a shotgun, and he somehow made sure it was loaded with just one hand since he refused to let go of Alec's hand. As long as he had Alec's hand, his little boy would be ok._

 _He knelt down next to Alec and whispered, "Repeat the rules back to me."_

 _"Hold your hand unless you tell me to run, I have to run when you tell me to, and if something happens to you or Sam, I have to go back to Bobby's house," Alec whispered._

 _"Ok, good," Dean said._

 _He stood up again, keeping his gun in one hand and Alec's hand held tightly in his other. "You ready?" Sam asked softly._

 _"No…but let's get on with it," Dean said. He'd just wanted Alec to be safe, that was it, but he should've known his little boy would do whatever he could to come with him. Alec had even told he that he was going to sneak his way onto this hunt, but he'd only checked the trunk once and had even kissed Alec goodbye on the porch before they had left. He had no idea how Alec had managed to pull this off, and he really didn't want to know, he just wanted his little boy safe._

 _He walked with Alec down the street, slightly behind Sam and Ellen. He would have taken the lead, but with Alec next to him, he was going to play it as safe as he could._

 _"I wish Cas was here…" Dean muttered as they walked._

 _"You think…you think Lucifer got him?" Sam asked._

 _"I don't know what else to think," Dean said._

 _"There you are," someone said behind them._

 _All of them turned at the same time, and he cursed when he saw Meg standing there, and he and Alec were the ones closest to her._

 _"Meg," Sam stated._

 _"Shouldn't have come here, boys," Meg said._

 _He pulled on Alec's arm to get him behind himself a little bit. He knew Alec could handle himself on hunts, but demons weren't the same as ghosts and the other things they had hunted, so he needed to stay as safe as he could. Plus, he'd gotten pretty beat up the last time Meg had found them. He passed the shotgun back to Alec and pulled the Colt out instead._

 _"Hell, I could say the same for you," Dean said as he aimed the gun at Meg._

 _"Didn't come here alone, Deano," Meg said._

 _A puddle splashed near Meg's feet, and he could hear the sounds of dogs growling and barking. "Hellhounds," Dean said. He felt a tiny hand grab his leg, and he knew Alec was scared. Alec usually only got scared at night when he was afraid that he or Sam were going to leave him alone. This was the first time on a hunt he'd really been visibly scared._

 _"Yeah, Dean. Your favorite," Meg said with a smile. "Come on, boys. My father wants to see you."_

 _"I think we'll pass, thanks," Sam said._

 _All he wanted to do was pick Alec up and run, get in the Impala with Sam and take off for the hills. He didn't want to face hellhounds again. He died because of them, and he didn't want Alec to have to see a repeat or to go through that torture himself. He was too little, and he knew Alec had been through terrible things even though he wouldn't talk about them, but he was his kid and he wasn't going to let him go through this._

 _"Your call," Meg said. "You can make this easy or you can make it really, really hard."_

 _Go see Lucifer, where he'll probably kill them slowly and painfully just to make Sam say yes, or take their chances and run, and have the hellhounds rip them to pieces. But with the hellhounds, there was a chance that they could still get out of here alive. Not a good chance, but still a chance. Alec would have a chance._

 _He glanced over at Ellen, who nodded back. She agreed with him, and she was nodding to tell him that she would take care of Alec if something happened to him. He took a deep breath, and then said, "When have you known us to ever make anything easy?" He shifted his aim from Meg to where he thought the hellhound was. Blood spurted from where he'd hit the hellhound, making the beast yelp in pain._

 _"Run!" Sam yelled._

 _He and Alec turned to run, and he was just about to pick Alec up when one of the hellhounds tackled him and Alec. He landed on top of Alec, which was definitely not good, but he quickly rolled and tried to hold the hellhound off, so Alec could get away._

 _"Dean!" Jo yelled._

 _"Jo, stay back!" Dean shouted. He could take one for the team as long as Alec could get away. But Jo fired her shotgun, hitting the hellhound away from him. She kept firing, so he had time to get up, pick Alec up, and start running again. He nearly froze when Jo suddenly went down from another hellhound, and then the beast ripped into her side, spilling her blood all over the street._

 _"No!" Ellen yelled in panic._

 _Ellen started to shoot the hellhound back, but he knew it was too late, he could see the damage from where he was, and he knew firsthand how much blood could be lost just from the hellhound getting in one good shot. Sam ran over to Jo and quickly scooped her up before he ran to the closest store._

 _He sprinted to the store and got the door open just in time for Sam to get inside with Jo. Ellen kept shooting until the hellhounds were far enough back to get in._

 _He carefully put Alec down, who was staring back at him with wide eyes. "Try to find some salt," Dean said, trying to give Alec something to do to distract him from what was going on. Alec took off in the store while he grabbed a chain and wrapped it around the door handles to keep it closed. He could hear Ellen talking and trying to soothe Jo, but he needed to get this door secure before he did anything else._

 _"Boys, need some help here," Ellen called out._

 _Alec ran back over with two bags of rock salt, which he quickly cut open. He passed off one bag to Sam, who started salting the windows while he took care of the door. He breathed out in relief when the building was secure, and then looked for Alec again._

 _He kneeled down in front of his little boy, hating that his chin was bleeding because he hit the pavement so hard. "Anything else hurt?" Dean asked softly, trying to look over Alec while he was still in shock. Alec shook his head and looked away from him, so he said, "Yes or no, Alec."_

 _"No…"_

 _"Honesty time," Dean stated, knowing he had to push for answers. At Manticore Alec had to cover up his injuries, so he knew he had to push to get the truth._

 _"My chest hurts," Alec whispered._

 _"Ok, you hold my hand again," Dean said. Alec quickly grabbed his hand again, and he brought Alec in for a tight hug. "We gotta help Jo, ok? You just hold my hand or keep ahold of my sleeve the whole time."_

 _"Ok…"_

 _He stood up, keeping Alec's hand in his, and then went over to where Jo was sitting on the floor. Ellen was trying her hardest to stop the bleeding, but the wounds were too deep._

 _"Sammy, we need some bandages," Dean called out. Alec grabbed Jo's hand, and she gave him a pained smile. But he could tell by the look on Alec's face that he knew Jo wasn't going to make it._

 _Sam ran over and the two of them quickly cleaned her wounds and bandaged them, doing what they could._

 _"Gonna be alright," Ellen whispered once Jo was bandaged._

 _"Dean…" Alec said softly, tugging on his sleeve. He picked Alec up and carried him over to one of the aisles since it seemed like Alec wanted to talk to him privately. "I can help," Alec whispered._

 _"Help? Help how?" Dean asked. He didn't like the sound of this. Alec was here, and he couldn't change that now, but he wasn't sure what he meant by helping. He'd already helped by getting salt for the doors._

 _"I can give her blood," Alec whispered. "If I give her blood, she might have a chance."_

 _"Alec…you're too little to give blood," Dean said, holding Alec closer. "I know you want to help…but if you give blood, then you'll get hurt too."_

 _"She'll die," Alec whispered._

 _"She still has a chance," Dean said. "You just hang out with me, ok? I'm gonna try to figure out how to get ahold of Bobby."_

 _Alec hid against his neck while he searched for what he needed. "Da-Dean…how did you see the hellhounds?" Alec asked, whispering against his skin._

 _"I couldn't see them," Dean said, rubbing Alec's back as he scanned the shelves. "I've just had to deal with them before…"_

 _"I don't like dogs," Alec whispered._

 _"Why do you think there are no dogs allowed in the Impala," Dean said with a small smile to try to cheer Alec up. He really wanted to know why Alec didn't like dogs, but they were already in a tense situation and he didn't want to make it worse._

 _Alec giggled, and even though it wasn't his normal giggle, he still made him smile. But Alec was serious again a moment later and asked, "What happened with the hellhounds before?"_

 _"Alec…how 'bout I tell you everything later, ok?" Dean said, kissing the side of Alec's head. He didn't want to talk about how the hellhounds shredded his skin like paper or that he went to hell because of it. He didn't want to scare Alec even more, especially now._

 _"Ok…" Alec said._

 _"Ok, now I either need you to hold on tight or I gotta set you down for a few minutes," Dean said._

 _Alec held on tighter, so he tried to work as fast as he could to get this fixed. He wanted to hold Alec again to try to comfort him and to try to reassure himself that Alec was still ok. Sam walked over to him after a little while, and he nodded for him to take Alec for a few minutes. Alec reluctantly let go of him and moved over to Sam instead._

 _"I really wish you would have listened to Dean," Sam whispered, holding Alec as close as he could. "But I'm glad you're here at the same time." Sam rubbed soothing circles on Alec's back and just soaked up the warmth._

 _"How's she holding up?" Dean asked._

 _Sam didn't answer, which meant he didn't want to scare Alec with how bad Jo was doing. "Salt lines are holding up," Sam finally said._

 _"Safe for now," Dean said._

 _"Safer…trapped like rates," Sam muttered._

 _"Hey, you heard Meg," Dean said. "Her father's here. This is our one shot, Sammy. No matter how much I don't want to do this now, we gotta take it, no matter what." He didn't want to do this with Alec here with them, but they had to take their shot, and he knew Alec wouldn't let them do this without him. "Here we go," Dean said when he finally got the radio to work._

 _"Sam, some help here, please?" Ellen called out._

 _Sam passed Alec back over to him, and he held him with one arm while he held the mouthpiece with the other. "K C 5 Fox Delta Oscar, come in." He leaned his cheek against the top of Alec's head, letting his soft hair brush against his cheek._

 _"K C 5 Fox Delta Oscar, go ahead," Bobby's voice came through the radio._

 _"Bobby, it's Dean. We got problems," Dean said, feeling the panic start to overwhelm him again. Alec's arms tightened around his neck, knowing he was feeling panicked again._

 _"It's ok, boy," Bobby said. "That's why I'm here." He felt a little bit of the panic recede, but he still didn't know what to do. If Alec wasn't here, maybe he could think straight, but with Alec here, all he could think about was getting Alec somewhere safe. "First thing's first, is Alec with you?" Bobby asked._

 _"He's with me," Dean said._

 _"I tried to watch him, but he's too fast," Bobby said._

 _"It's alright," Dean said, shifting Alec slightly to get a better grip on him._

 _"Is everyone alright?" Bobby asked._

 _"No…" he had to take a deep breath before he could continue, "It's…it's…Jo. Bobby, it's pretty bad."_

 _"Ok. Copy that," Bobby said. "So, now we figure out what we do next."_

 _"Bobby, I don't think she's…" He had to stop because Alec was with him, and because he didn't want to say it. Alec already knew, but he still couldn't say it._

 _"I said, what do we do next, Dean?" Bobby said, trying to get him back on track._

 _He looked at Alec, who looked back at him steadily. He knew Alec was scared, but he could also see the determination and the trust that he had in him. He could do this. He had to do this for Alec. "Right. Ok, right."_

 _"Now, tell me what you got," Bobby said._

 _"We're trapped in a hardware store," Dean said. "Hellhounds are outside, Jo's down for the count, Alec's here…Everything fell apart. We have no way out, Cas is gone…and Lucifer is here."_

 _"Cas is gone?" Bobby asked, surprised._

 _"Yeah, I guess…I don't know," Dean said. "I was gonna have him take Alec back to your place, but Ellen said he saw reapers and took off."_

 _"I'm sorry," Alec whispered._

 _"Hey, I'm with Sam," Dean quickly reassured. "I wish you would have listened to me, but I was already missing you when we drove off. I just don't want anything to happen to you."_

 _"Before he went missing, did Cas say how many reapers?" Bobby asked._

 _"I don't…he said a lot of things, I guess. Does the number matter?" Dean asked. He really had no idea, so hopefully it didn't matter._

 _"Devil's in the details, Dean," Bobby said._

 _He jumped when Ellen suddenly tapped his shoulder, but he quickly held out the mouthpiece, so she could talk. "Bobby, it's Ellen. The way he was looking, the number of places Castiel's eyes went, I'd say we're talking over a dozen reapers, probably more."_

 _"I don't like the sound of that," Bobby said._

 _"Nobody likes the sound of that, Bobby, but what…what does that sound like?" Dean asked._

 _"It sounds like death, son," Bobby said. "I think he's planning to unleash Death."_

 _"You mean, like, as in this dude and taxes are the only sure thing?" Dean asked._

 _"As in Death. The horseman. The pale rider in the flesh," Bobby said._

 _"Unleash? I mean, hasn't Death been tromping all over the place?" Dean asked. And another reason why Alec shouldn't be here. He was probably the worst Dad in the world. No wonder Alec still wouldn't call him Dad unless they were in public._

 _"Not this guy. This is…this is the angel of death. Big daddy reaper. They keep this guy chained in a box six hundred feet under," Bobby said. "Last time they hauled him up, Noah was building a boat. That's why the place is crawling with reapers. They're waiting on the big boss to show."_

 _"You have any other good news?" Dean grumbled._

 _"In a manner of speaking," Bobby said. "I been researching Carthage since you've been gone, trying to suss out what the devil might want there. What you just said drops the last piece of the puzzle in place. The angel of death must be brought into this world at midnight through a place of awful carnage. Now, back during the Civil War, there was a battle in Carthage. A battle so intense the soldiers called it the Battle of Hellhole."_

 _"Where'd the massacre go down?" Dean asked._

 _"On the land of William Jasper's farm," Bobby said._

* * *

 _He felt really bad for sneaking into the trunk of the Impala even though Dean told him not to. He didn't want to get in trouble, but he didn't want to lose Sam or Dean. Or even Ellen and Jo. He knew Jo was going to die, but Dean wouldn't let him help. He'd kept trying, but every time he asked, Dean said no. He'd tried to look around for the supplies that he would need to do it without Dean's permission, but he couldn't find anything. They were in a hardware store, so he could make do with some things, but he really needed a doctor's office or something to really do it. He didn't want to just watch Jo die, but he didn't have any other way to help her._

 _"Now, we know where the devil's gonna be, we know when, and we have the Colt," Dean said, rubbing his back again. Dean still wanted to try to kill the devil, but he knew he would do anything to get him as far away from here as possible._

 _"Yeah. We just have to get past eight or so hellhounds and get to the farm by midnight," Sam muttered._

 _"Yeah, and that's after we get Jo, Ellen, and Alec the hell out of town," Dean said. He wrapped his arms tighter around Dean's neck because he didn't want to go. "Yes Alec, you're going to go with them," Dean said at his silent protest. "I can't take this shot if you're with me."_

 _"Won't be easy," Sam said._

 _"Stretcher?" Dean asked, easily switching back to his conversation with Sam._

 _"I'll see what we got," Sam said._

 _"Stop. Guys, stop," Jo said, her voice weak. "Can we, uh, be realistic about this, please?" Dean walked over, and so did Sam because there was no way that Jo could move by herself. "I can't move my legs. I can't be moved. My guts are being held in by an ace bandage. We gotta…we gotta get our priorities straight here."_

 _"I can still help if we just find the supplies," Alec tried._

 _"No Alec. I don't wanna hear another word about it, understood?" Dean said._

 _"What-" Ellen started, but he spoke before she could even ask._

 _"My blood can help," Alec stated. "I don't know if I can save her, but I can help."_

 _"What's he talking about?" Ellen asked Dean._

 _"No," Dean growled. "He's too little to give blood. He could get seriously hurt doing this, so I'm not allowing it."_

 _"If he could help Jo-"_

 _"No!"_

 _"I'm not going anywhere," Jo breathed to stop their arguing. "Blood or no blood, it won't help me now."_

 _"Joanna Beth, you stop talking like that," Ellen snapped._

 _"Mom. I can't fight. I can't walk," Jo said. "But I can do something. We got propane, wiring, rock salt, iron nails, everything we need."_

 _"Everything we need?" Sam asked._

 _"To build a bomb, Sam," Jo said._

 _"No. Jo, no," Dean said._

 _"You got another plan? You got any other plan?" Jo challenged. "Those are hellhounds, Dean. They've got all of our scents. Those bitches will never stop coming after you. We let the dogs in, you guys hit the roof, make a break for the building next over. I can wait here with my finger on the button, rip those mutts a new one. Or at least get you a few minutes' head start, anyway."_

 _"No, I…I won't let you," Ellen said._

 _"This is why we're here, right?" Jo asked. "If I can get us a shot on the devil…Dean, we have to take it."_

 _"No!" Ellen yelled._

 _He looked at Dean and saw that he was definitely considering the bomb plan. They didn't have many options, but he still wanted to help if he could. He didn't want Jo to die, he liked Jo. He snuggled against Dean's neck to try to tell him that he didn't like this plan. He didn't want Jo to sacrifice herself for them. There had to be something else they could do. Dean rubbed his back, and then kissed the side of his head, which meant there was no other plan._

 _"Mom…this might literally be your last chance to treat me like an adult," Jo said. "Might wanna take it?"_

 _Jo smiled, and he felt tears fall down his cheeks when Ellen started crying. He'd seen terrible things and had been through terrible things at Manticore, but this was different. Ellen knew Jo was going to die and there was nothing she could do to stop it. He didn't like this helpless feeling._

 _"You heard her. Get to work," Ellen said to them._

 _Dean quickly walked away, but then stopped and set him down to look at him. "I'm so sorry, Alec," Dean whispered, brushing away the tears that were still falling._

 _"I just wanna help," Alec said._

 _"I know you do," Dean said. "But not even blood is gonna help her."_

 _"It's not fair," Alec said. "I can help…" Dean pulled him in and hugged him tightly, so he could cry all he wanted. "It's not fair," he said again. He couldn't stop the tears because he'd never been this helpless before. There was always a plan B, there was always a way out. And yeah, he'd seen people die before, but Jo was his friend. He hadn't had any friends before he found Sam and Dean, but now he just had to stand by and watch as Jo died. It wasn't fair at all, so he cried even though he was a highly trained super-soldier._

 _"I know," Dean soothed. "I know it's not." He sniffled, so Dean held out a handkerchief and said, "Blow." He did, and Dean chuckled and gently teased, "You got a lot of snot, kiddo." He couldn't help his giggle, and then Dean pulled him close again. "I know this isn't fair, but all we can do now is get out while we can. Remember when you read that me and Sam died?" He nodded, already knowing he wasn't going to like this conversation. "Well, I've died before. For real. A hellhound killed me…And I don't want you to go through that. Ever."_

 _"I'm really sorry," Alec said, looking away from Dean. He didn't want to see disappointment for disobeying orders even though he couldn't stand being away from the man he considered as his Dad. He'd just found Sam and Dean, he couldn't lose them now._

 _Tears started falling again, but Dean wiped them away and said, "Alright now, chin up and no more tears until we're safe, ok? We'll get out of here, and then watch so many movies. But I get to pick the movies this time."_

 _"Ok," Alec whispered._

 _"Right now, I need you to help me get some supplies, ok?" Dean said._

 _He nodded and walked with Dean through the store, grabbing the supplies that Dean pointed out to him. They met up with Sam and started to make the bombs, and Dean showed him how to do it, and then let him do some on his own. It was dark by the time they had all the bombs made and in position. Dean walked over to Jo again, a wire leaving a trail behind him as he handed her the button to the bomb._

 _"Ok, this is it," Dean whispered. "I'll see you on the other side."_

 _Jo started crying silently once Dean kissed her forehead, and he grabbed Dean's hand because he still didn't like this. But Dean had wanted him to keep it together until they were safe, so that's what he was going to do. Dean stood up again and picked him up to hold him close._

 _Ellen sat down next to Jo, and he expected her to stand up again after a minute or two, but she just looked at Jo. "Mom…no," Jo said._

 _"Somebody's gotta let them in," Ellen said. "Like you said, you're not moving. You got me, Jo. And you're right, this is important." He quickly hid against Dean's neck because he was afraid he was going to start crying again. But now Ellen and Jo were both going to die. "But I will not leave you here alone."_

 _"Dean-" Sam started._

 _"Get going now, boys," Ellen cut off._

 _"Ellen-" Dean tried._

 _"I said go," Ellen said. Dean hugged him closer as he turned towards Sam, but he stopped when Ellen said, "And Dean?" He looked over at Ellen and Jo, wishing again that they could find another way. "Kick it in the ass. Don't miss," Ellen said._

 _Dean nodded, and then followed Sam towards another door. He hid against Dean's neck, trying not to think about what was going on. Dean had to put him down, but he grabbed his hand and they ran to the fire escape. Sam went down the ladder first, and then Dean made him go down next. Sam pulled him off the ladder as soon as he could, and then they ran down the alley once Dean was on the ground too. Sam and Dean both had one of his hands as they ran down the street._

 _They stopped though once the hardware store exploded. It was a big explosion, and he could feel the heat from where they were. Dean ran his hand through his hair, but then said, "Alec, what's rule number three?"_

 _"If something happens to you or Sam I have to go to Bobby's," Alec whispered._

 _"Alright…we gotta get to that field," Dean said, grabbing his hand again._

 _They ran some more, and surprisingly Dean let him go with them. They probably didn't have time to find somewhere for him to go, which suited him just fine because he wasn't going to go. They finally made it to the field, so they slowed down once they were behind some bushes. He could see a lot of people standing in the field, all looking at something he couldn't see._

 _"Guess we know what happened to some of the townspeople," Dean whispered._

 _"Ok," Sam said._

 _"Ok," Dean repeated._

 _"Last words?" Sam asked._

 _Dean looked at Sam before he looked at him, and then knelt down, "Repeat the last rule one more time."_

 _"Go to Bobby's," Alec whispered._

 _Dean hugged him, and then messed up his hair. "You're such a good kid. I'm thankful every day that you found us."_

 _"Don't go," he whispered._

 _"I have to," Dean said. "You're gonna stay here, and me and Sammy are gonna try to take this shot. If something happens, I want you to run as fast as you can. You go back to Bobby's, ok?" He didn't nod or say anything, so Dean said, "Yes or no, Alec, you have to answer me."_

 _"Yes," Alec whispered._

 _"Ok," Dean said, hugging him one more time and kissing his forehead before he nodded to Sam. Sam hugged and kissed him too, and then they were both leaving._

 _He could only watch as his family snuck away from him. Instead of completely listening to Dean, he snuck through the bushes to get closer, just so he could see what was going on. And so he could run in if he had to. He was already in trouble, so he might as well do whatever he could to save Sam and Dean._

 _"You wanted to see me?" Sam asked. A man who was holding a shovel, dropped it as soon as Sam spoke, and turned towards him. He didn't look very good, his skin looked kind of like a zombie's, like maybe he was disintegrating or something. This must be Lucifer._

 _"Oh, Sam, you don't need that gun here," Lucifer said. "You know I'd never hurt you. Not really."_

 _"Yeah? Well, I'd hurt you," Dean said, suddenly walking up next to Lucifer. He pointed the gun at Lucifer's forehead, and he smiled a little since Dean was freaking awesome. "So suck it," Dean said right before he pulled the trigger. Lucifer collapsed, not even twitching. Sam and Dean looked at each other for a second, and then Dean's eyes searched for him. He barely stood up, and then smiled wider when Dean smiled._

 _He started to move out from where he was hiding but stopped once Dean held up his hand. Lucifer took in a breath and actually moved. "Owww," Lucifer complained. His eyes widened in shock as the man who had just been shot in the head stood up. "Where did you get that?" Lucifer glared at Dean, and he stood up and started to run, just panicking at the thought that Dean might get hurt._

 _He had to skid to a stop though when Lucifer punched Dean, and the man he considered as his Dad flew into the air until he hit a tree, hard. Dean crumbled to the ground in a heap, and he changed directions and took off for Dean instead._

 _He shook Dean's shoulder as gently as he could, but he didn't wake up. What if he didn't wake up at all? He couldn't just go back to Bobby's without Dean. He knew Sam would still be there, but Dean was his Dad…He wanted Dean to be his Dad. He had to wake up._

 _"Don't feel too bad, Sam," Lucifer said. "There's only five things in all of creation that that gun can't kill, and I just happen to be one of them. But if you give me a minute, I'm almost done."_

 _Lucifer picked up the shovel again and start to work again. Sam ran over to him and Dean, and then crouched next to Dean to check his pulse. Sam put his hand against his back and nodded reassuringly to him. Sam motioned for him to stay put before he got up again._

 _"I don't suppose you'd just say yes here and now?" Lucifer asked. "End this whole tiresome discussion? That's crazy, right?"_

 _"It's never gonna happen!" Sam said._

 _He grabbed Dean's hand and tried again to wake him up. He knew Sam didn't seem super concerned that Dean hadn't woken up yet, but he was. He wanted Dean awake now. He didn't want to wait and see._

 _"Oh, I don't know, Sam. I think it will. I think it'll happen soon. Within six months. And I think it'll happen in Detroit," Lucifer said._

 _"You listen to me, you son of a bitch," Sam growled. "I'm gonna kill you myself, you understand me? I'm going to rip your heart out!"_

 _"That's good, Sam," Lucifer said. "You keep fanning that fire in your belly. All that pent-up rage. I'm gonna need it."_

 _"Dean…please wake up," Alec whispered. "Please don't die…" He shook his shoulder again, but he still didn't have any luck._

 _"What did you do?" Sam asked after a moment. "What did you do to this town?"_

 _"Oh, I was very generous with this town. One demon for every able-bodied man," Lucifer said._

 _"And the rest of them?" Sam asked._

 _"In there," Lucifer said, nodding to the hole. "I know, it's awful, but these horsemen are so demanding. So it was women and children first. You should count yourself lucky that I don't take that child and add him in." Sam took a step to the side to block him from view, but Lucifer wasn't done yet. "I said I wouldn't take him. But I know what you must think of me, Sam. But I have to do this. I have to. You of all people should understand."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked._

 _Lucifer dropped the shovel and looked at Sam again. "I was a son. A brother, like you, a younger brother, and I had an older brother who I loved. Idolized, in fact. And one day I went to him and I begged him to stand with me, and Michael…Michael turned on me. Called me a freak. A monster. And then he beat me down. All because I was different. Because I had a mind of my own. Tell me something, Sam. Any of this sound familiar? Anyway. You'll have to excuse me. Midnight is calling and I have a ritual to finish. Don't go anywhere. Not that you could if you would."_

 _Sam walked back over to him and Dean, hugging him close for a second as if reassuring himself that he was still ok._

 _Lucifer looked at the demons, and then said, "Now repeat after me. We offer up our lives, blood, souls."_

 _Dean finally moved and he couldn't help but hug him as soon as he could. Dean looked like he was in pain, but he still held him close. He could feel Dean's heart pounding against his chest, but he was still holding him._

 _"We offer up our lives, blood, souls," the demons said._

 _"To complete this tribute," Lucifer said._

 _"You ok?" Dean asked, his voice strained. He nodded and tightened his grip on Dean. He wasn't going to lose Dean._

 _"To complete this tribute," the demons repeated._

 _His eyes widened as each demon suddenly flashed, and then fell over, dead. He shrunk back against Dean's side when Lucifer looked over at them. "What? They're just demons."_

 _The ground started shaking, and Dean tried to stand, but he couldn't get his feet under him. They were going to be stuck here. He knew Dean probably wanted him to run, but he wasn't going to leave. If they were about to die, then at least he had Sam and Dean for a while, and he wouldn't have to live without them._

 _Cas suddenly appeared and touched Sam and Dean's shoulders. One second they were in the field and the next they were back inside Bobby's house._

 _Dean kept him held against his chest, but Sam had to help Dean over to the sofa. He snuggled against Dean's chest and tried to stop shaking, but he'd been so scared that Dean was going to die._

 _"Sam, I need his pills," Dean said. "He's shaking pretty badly."_

 _"You probably need some ice too," Sam said before he left the room._

 _"We're ok, Alec," Dean soothed. "We're gonna be ok." He nodded and tried to calm down, but the mission had failed. Ellen and Jo were dead, but Lucifer was still alive. "We're gonna be ok," Dean whispered._

* * *

 _Sorry for the lack of the other two present timelines, but the twins need to get the ball rolling. More soon!_


	19. Chapter 19

_So this chapter is mostly one of my favorite episodes, 'Baby'. I really thought that episode was a lot of fun, so hopefully you guys like how the twins fit into it!_

* * *

Chapter 19

 _2016_

 _The Impala was parked in the garage and he and Dad were washing it even though they had already washed it twice, along with every other car in the bunker. But he didn't mind. He liked doing boring things with his Dad. It made them just a little more normal._

 _"Little higher on the windshield kiddo," Dad said. He smiled a little, but then grabbed the hose and sprayed his Dad with water. "Alec!" Dad yelled with a laugh. He laughed but had to run once Dad ran at him. Dad caught him and got soap all over him, so he sprayed him again with the hose._

 _They were laughing too much to be able to hear Uncle Sam when he walked in, so they both jumped when he said, "Hey!"_

 _"Hey," Dad said, plopping the sponge on the top of his head before he turned to face Uncle Sam. He threw the sponge at him, laughing again when it hit the back of his head._

 _"I see why it's taken so long for you two to wash all the cars," Uncle Sam said in amusement._

 _"He started it," Dad said._

 _"Did not," Alec immediately argued._

 _"You sprayed me with water first," Dad pointed out. He smiled since that was true, and then started to wash off the Impala again. "Did you find anything?" Dad asked Uncle Sam._

 _"Uh…Not on the Darkness. No," Uncle Sam replied._

 _"What about Metatron?" Dad asked._

 _"Still in the wind," Uncle Sam said. "No leads." Which was why they had washed every car twice. He and Dad were bored, and they could only do so much research. Plus, he'd already made Ben mad at him since he kept bugging him until he finally snapped and told him to go away. That was a pretty common thing to happen to them when they went this long without a hunt, or at least something to do._

 _"Great," Dad grumbled. "So, we have an ancient evil out there somewhere, just getting stronger by the day."_

 _"Cas is getting better, so there's that," Uncle Sam said to try to cheer Dad up. "Still wants to fix you, uh…"_

 _"I'm fine. Fine. 100%," Dad said._

 _"Liar," he muttered._

 _"Hey, if he won't heal you, he's got no business healing me," Dad said._

 _"I'm healed already," Alec said. "Probably because I barely had a scratch on me."_

 _"I told you to stay back when we found him," Dad said. "He couldn't stop himself from attacking you."_

 _"You know that I know this because we've already had this argument," Alec said. "My bruises are already gone." He and Dad had found Cas when he still had Rowena's spell on him, and he had tried to intervene when Cas had gone after Dad, which ended with him getting a few bruises and a concussion, but Dad got beat up way worse than he did. He didn't even have any bruises anymore, while Dad did._

 _"Anyway," Uncle Sam said before Dad could argue with him more. "Cas still needs more time to heal."_

 _"Well…Guess we got nothing to do but get better," Dad muttered. "I don't know about you, but…we've got some serious cabin fever. We've washed every car in here twice."_

 _"Well, I may have found us a case," Uncle Sam said. "I mean, it's thin-"_

 _"Hey, thin works," Dad immediately said. "You can tell us one the way. Go get Ben while me and Alec finish up here."_

 _"Dry clothes too," Alec added on._

 _Dad rolled his eyes but nodded, "Yeah dry clothes too."_

* * *

 _"Figures," Dean muttered as he drove down the highway in the pouring rain. It was pointless to wash the car because of course it was going to rain. "Alright, let's hear it," he said to Sam. "What do you got?"_

 _"Ok, uh, Quaker Valley, Oregon, town outside of Eugene," Sam said. "Dwayne Markham, the local sheriff, was found in the woods a couple days ago. His body was mauled, so they chalked it up to an animal attack, but I'm thinking-"_

 _"Werewolf," Ben said from the backseat. Ben was looking out the window while Alec leaned against him in sleep. He'd been quiet for most of the drive, but he knew once Sam started talking about the hunt, he would start talking. Alec would have already been talking, but he loved sleeping in the car since that was really what he was used to, even though they had been in the bunker for a while now. And Alec always fell asleep against Ben, but he knew Ben didn't mind._

 _"Yeah, maybe," Sam said, glancing back at Ben._

 _"Yeah, you're right. That is thin," Dean said. He saw Ben shift slightly from the rearview mirror, which made Alec frown, but then he fell back asleep once Ben stopped moving again._

 _"Yeah. Probably nothing, right?" Sam asked._

 _"Probably not," Dean agreed, but then said, "Oregon, here we come." Sam reached over the seat to get in the cooler and pulled out some kind of green smoothie thing. "What is that?" Dean asked with disgust._

 _"It's a smoothie," Sam said._

 _"Where's the beer?" Dean asked._

 _"Under the smoothies," Sam said._

 _"What about the sodas for the boys? And the rest of the beer?" Dean asked._

 _Sam's phone suddenly started to ring, saving him from answering. "Oh, it's Cas. We gotta-we gotta-"_

 _"Man!" Dean said, annoyed. Those smoothie things were going to contaminate the beer, he just knew it. He couldn't believe Sam wasted precious cooler space with his smoothie crap._

 _"I gotta get this," Sam said, quickly answering the phone and putting it on speaker. "Hey, Cas. Everything alright?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm fine," Cas said. "I was just reading up about the other cases in the area that you're headed to. I haven't found anything yet that matches."_

 _"Cas, you've got one job to do and that's to heal," Dean said. "You understand?"_

 _"I can help," Cas replied._

 _"Yeah, of course you can, Cas, but right now is the time for you to focus on getting better. This is just a milk run. We got it. Plus, we've got the boys as backup," Sam said. He saw Ben smile in amusement, and he was glad Alec didn't hear that one. He was pretty sure Alec would have started arguing that he and Ben could easily take on a werewolf by themselves, which would have ended with him saying he wasn't going to allow that, and then Alec would say they had done it before, which would have just made him sad. His boys shouldn't have been hunting by themselves, and it was his fault that they had been. "Try and relax," Sam said to Cas._

 _"Alright," Cas grumbled._

 _"Read a book, watch some Netflix," Sam suggested._

 _"Netflix?" Cas asked in confusion._

 _"C'mon Cas," Dean said. "You watch Netflix with the boys all the time."_

 _"Alec always makes the 'Netflix' work," Cas muttered._

 _"Cas just go to the rec room," Ben said. "You just have to turn on the TV and push the 'Netflix' button on the remote."_

 _"Ok," Cas said. "Just call if you need anything."_

 _"Got it, Cas. Thanks," Dean said._

 _Sam hung up, but asked, "You think he's gonna be ok?"_

 _"He just needs some time, you know? We all do," Dean said._

 _He drove for a while until he saw a bar called the Roadhouse with a motel next door, which would be perfect since both of his boys were asleep now and could use a real bed, while he could go to the bar and play some pool._

 _"Are you serious?" Sam whined. "Dee, it's late. I'm exhausted and-and-the boys are exhausted, and probably starving. And this place…I mean, even Swayze wouldn't come to this Roadhouse."_

 _"Ok, first of all, never use Swayze's name in vain. Ok? Ever," Dean said. "Second, the motel is right next door for your whiny ass and for the boys. And third, you don't remember this place? You don't remember Heather? The hunter that we worked a wendigo case a couple years ago?"_

 _"Oh, yeah," Sam said._

 _"Yeah, exactly," Dean said with a smile._

 _"What, she's here tonight?" Sam asked, surprised._

 _"I texted her. She's working a rugaru case in Texas…" Dean said, but then shook his head. "Actually, she never texted me back. That's not the point. The point is, is that we have a ton of driving left to do just to go to a town where there's probably not a case. But in there…Good times. And time heals all wounds, Sam, especially good times. What do you say?"_

 _"I say after you get the boys to bed, knock yourself out," Sam said. "I'm gonna find a diner, dig into the lore like Cas did, see if anything's ever happened where we're headed."_

 _"Oh, man, you really gotta learn to have fun," Dean muttered. "Seriously, it's pathetic." He shook his head, but then reached back to shake Alec and Ben's shoulders. "C'mon boys, up and at 'em. Just so I can get you into a room."_

 _Alec and Ben both grumbled, complaining that they just wanted to sleep in the car, but they eventually followed him to the motel and into the room._

* * *

 _He and Alec waited impatiently for Dad to come out of the bar. They were both sitting on the hood of the Impala since their backseat was currently occupied. And Alec was grumpy since he was hungry, so he was actually being quiet, but he knew he was grumpy, which meant he was going to snap at the first person who bugged him unless he went to the diner and got him food. He was tempted to get him food, just to make him feel better, but he needed money, and his money was in the car, which was still off limits at the moment._

 _Dad finally stumbled out of the bar and slowly walked over to them. "Hey boys," Dad said._

 _Alec held out his hand and said, "I'm hungry. Our money is in the car which is ocupado."_

 _"Grumpy today," Dad said. Alec just glared, so Dad got some money out of his pocket and gave it to him. "You can keep the change," Dad said to try to make up for it. Alec didn't say anything as he walked across the street to the diner. "What's he mean-"_

 _"Sam brought a girl over and used our backseat as a bed," Ben said._

 _Dad nodded and got in the car, making the girl sit up in surprise. The front door was still open, so he heard her ask, "Who are you?"_

 _"Oh!" Dad said in surprise when he noticed that she was not wearing a top. He sat down on the hood again, annoyed that breakfast was late and now he had to wait for this girl to get out of his and Alec's backseat._

 _"Ah, good morning," Uncle Sam said. "That's, uh, my brother Dean. Oh…and that's my nephew…"_

 _"You pissed off the twins," Dad said._

 _"Yeah. Yeah, uh, could you give us a minute?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"Well, I'll just, uh…Just won't be here anymore. So, you kids take your time," Dad said, getting out of the car again. He smiled a little since Dad was being awkward on purpose since he and Alec were annoyed. "Did that help?" Dad asked, amused._

 _He nodded, "Yeah, but Alec's still gonna be pissed."_

 _"Have you seen my hairpin?" the girl asked._

 _"You know Uncle Sam," Dad said. "He'll make sure everything's good back there before you boys get in the car."_

 _"And breakfast was late, and we missed dinner," Ben pointed out._

 _"Those were on me," Dad said._

 _"I know," Ben replied with a smile. Dad bumped his shoulder against his, which made him smile even more. "But we'll be happy again once we get food."_

 _"And we'll have an early lunch," Dad said._

 _Alec finally came back with six boxes of food, a tray of drinks, and a huge smile, which meant that he was happy now that he had food. "Look, she gave me free food!" Alec said as he walked up. "And I got two coffees, one girly and one with nothing in it, and two milks, one chocolate and one normal."_

 _"What kind of food?" Ben asked, grabbing his drink from his brother, which was of course the normal milk._

 _"A whole box of bacon, one of hash browns, one with scrambled eggs, pancakes, which are mine, toast, and two egg burritos, which are for Dad and Uncle Sam," Alec said._

 _Dad chuckled and took the one box that Alec had decided was his, and then ruffled Alec's hair. "C'mon, Uncle Sam's already in the front seat, which means the backseat is yours again," Dad said._

 _He and Alec got in, quickly splitting up the food and giving Uncle Sam the two coffee cups. "Dean, I can explain what was going on…" Uncle Sam said while Dad put in one of his tapes._

 _"No, no, no. No," Dad said with a wide smile._

 _He chuckled when he realized Dad was playing 'Night Moves'. "Don't 'Night Moves' me," Uncle Sam complained, trying not to laugh._

 _"Shh. Just let it wash over you," Dad teased._

 _"Let-"_

 _"Just take it in," Dad said. Dad started dramatically lip syncing once the words started, 'I was a little too tall, could've used a few pounds…Tight pants point hardly renown…She was a black-haired beauty with big dark eyes…'_

 _"This is ridiculous," Uncle Sam muttered, still trying to hide his smile._

 _"One of the greatest rock writers of all time, Samuel," Dad said over the music._

 _"It's Sam," Uncle Sam corrected, but then he sang along to the song, "Out in the back seat of my brother's '67 Chevy…" Dad looked over at Uncle Sam and shook his head, so he defended, "Yeah, you started this. You started this."_

 _Dad shook his head again, but then said "Here we go. Come on now."_

 _"Workin' on our night moves," Dad and Uncle Sam sang together._

 _He reached over to steal some of the food from his brother as the song continued, but Alec quickly slapped his hand away. He managed to get some more bacon anyway, when Alec reached for the hash browns and he pulled them away._

 _They drove all day, he and Alec taking turns napping against each other and watching Dad and Uncle Sam argue just like normal. Dad let him and Alec both have turns at driving, even though it wasn't great, and then got them more food once they mentioned once or twice that they were hungry again. Alec had sung along, badly, every once in a while just to annoy him, so he kept the food away from him until Alec started whining that he was hungry again._

 _They were almost to Oregon when his brother fell asleep against him again, and he couldn't help falling asleep too._

* * *

 _Dean glanced back at the boys once they were finally asleep again before he teased Sam, "Digging into the lore…Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"_

 _"Man, I needed that," Sam said, glancing back to make sure the boys were really asleep._

 _"And hey, look at that, you're finally not a virgin anymore," he couldn't help but adding. "But you know what? I think it was time. I respect the fact that you, uh, you know, you wanted to stay true and pure and waited."_

 _"Yeah, you know what? You…you're an idiot," Sam said, shaking his head and smiling._

 _"Even put a blanket down. Buddy, classy and thoughtful as always," Dean said._

 _"Yeah, well, I knew I would be pissing off the boys as soon as I decided to use the backseat," Sam said. "I tried to give her my number. You know what she said?"_

 _"'We got tonight. Who needs tomorrow?'" Dean asked with a smirk._

 _"Is everything a Bob Seger song to you?" Sam asked._

 _"Yes," Dean said like it was obvious._

 _"It was nice knowing you, Piper," Sam said._

 _"Piper? That's awesome. Heather. One-night wonders, man. Shoot, we're lucky we still get that at all," Dean muttered._

 _"Really? You don't…Ever want something more?" Sam asked._

 _"I'm sorry, have you met us? We're batting a whipping zero in domestic life, man. Goose eggs," Dean said. "Except for my boys, but even they're in the life…"_

 _"You don't ever think about something?" Sam asked. "Not marriage or whatever. But…something? You know, with a hunter? Somebody who understands the life?"_

 _"Have you not heard a single word Bob's been singing about?" Dean teased, but then more seriously said, "I've got the boys. That's as domestic as I'm getting in this life. Besides, I don't think they would accept anyone as a mom…"_

 _"They'd get used to it as long as you were happy," Sam said._

 _He just shook his head and deflected, "You're tired. I can tell. You're exhausted. I'm still wired, so I'm gonna pull over, get some gas. You should get some Z's 'cause, buddy, you earned 'em. Proud of ya! Piper…Mmm…Man, she smelled good too."_

 _Sam rolled his eyes but leaned against the door after a moment and closed his eyes. He drove for a while, but then pulled over and stopped since he was feeling tired. He didn't drive until he couldn't anymore since he had the boys to think about. He didn't want to wreck with them in the car or get into a wreck and leave them without their Dad. They had lost him already before, and he knew that had been hard on them._

 _He glanced back at them to make sure they were still sleeping soundly and smiled when he saw Alec leaning against Ben again, and Ben leaning against the door. Ben was behind him, leaning on the door that they had all carved their initials into. He'd helped Alec carve his initials when he'd found them, and then helped Ben once he joined their little family. This was their first home, and even though they had a real home now, he knew they both felt more comfortable when they were all in the car together._

 _Sam startled awake next to him and looked around in confusion. "Welcome to the Winchester Motel," Dean said. "We don't have cable, but we do…" he reached back into the cooler and got Sam a drink. "Have room service. You were singing in your sleep, that song Mom loved that Dad used to always play for us. I think I've actually still got the tape."_

 _Sam slowly took the drink from him, and then said, "Hey, Dean, um…You said when you saw the Darkness, you weren't sure whether is was, uh…the real thing or a vision, right?"_

 _"Mmhmm," Dean hummed._

 _"I think I've been having visions, too, lately. I mean, more of a…feeling, really," Sam said. "But I just had one right now, and…and Dad was in it. But it wasn't Dad like…like…The Dad that…that I grew up with. It was Dad when he was our age. And I-I guess it wasn't even really Dad. It was someone pretending to be Dad and-"_

 _"Ok, what makes you say that," Dean cut off._

 _"For starters, he told me everything I wanted to hear," Sam said._

 _"Yeah, that doesn't sound like Dad," Dean muttered._

 _"No," Sam said. "Anyways, whoever it was…They had a message to deliver. They said the Darkness is coming, and…only you and I can stop it."_

 _"Did they have him give you any helpful tips on how to do that?" Dean asked, not really thinking that whatever vision Sam had, really had the answers for them. Nothing in their lives was that easy._

 _"He said, 'God helps those who help themselves.' I mean, maybe these visions are coming from God," Sam said._

 _"Whoa. Pump the brakes," Dean said, shifting slightly to face Sam a little more._

 _"I mean, Dean, the first one happened after I prayed," Sam said like he hadn't said anything at all._

 _"You prayed? When was this?" Dean asked._

 _"Back in the hospital," Sam said._

 _"Why," he asked, already knowing he wasn't going to like the answer._

 _"Because I was infected. I was infected. I'm not anymore. I-I-I never went full rabid," Sam rambled._

 _"You get infected and you didn't even tell me," Dean demanded, still trying to keep his voice down, so he wouldn't wake up the boys._

 _"Dean…"_

 _"What did you pray about?" Dean asked. He definitely wasn't happy that Sam had been infected and hadn't even mentioned it to him. That was probably why Sam had told him to go, and to take the boys with him. Usually when they had to split up, they split the boys up too, but Sam had practically forced the twins to go with him._

 _"I guess I was just looking for answers, you know?" Sam said._

 _"Well, I'm sure whatever is kicking around in your head right now is a side effect from the infection that you failed to tell me about," Dean grumbled._

 _"You know, I don't think it's that simple…" Sam muttered in thought._

 _"Come on, man. That quote? 'God helps those who help themselves'? God didn't say that. That's not even in the Bible," Dean said. "That's an old proverb that dates way back to Aesop." Sam gave him a funny look, so he said, "I read. And more importantly, when was the last time God answered any one of our prayers?" He tried not to think about Alec finding him or him finding Ben, and every time his boys had pulled through when it had looked completely hopeless. "It's not a vision, Sam. Alright? It's just some…Some fever dream. That's all. And as far as Dad goes, I dream about Dad all the time."_

 _"You do?" Sam asked._

 _"Of course I do," Dean said. "It's usually the same one, too. I'm driving and you're sitting shotgun. But there aren't any shotguns. There's no monsters. There's no hunting. There's none of that. We're both younger and the boys are in the backseat…I think they're five or six, just laughing and having a good time. We pull up to the house…and Dad comes out and the boys just go crazy since they know we're at Grandpa's house. They can't hardly wait for you to open the door, and Dad…he's so happy to see them. He hugs and kisses them before he chases them around the yard. I have that dream every couple of months. Kind of comforting, actually."_

 _"I always, uh…I always dream about Mom," Sam said. "Usually the same kind of thing, though."_

 _"Normal life?" Dean asked._

 _"Yeah. Normal life," Sam said. "But, Dean, this wasn't just a dream. I'm telling you."_

 _"Why would somebody dress up like Dad to give you a message?" Dean asked. "I mean, Dad? You don't exactly have a history of listening to what he had to say."_

 _"But you said the Darkness is…is sending messages to you," Sam said. "Maybe whatever is the opposite of the Darkness is sending messages to me."_

 _"And you think that this thing is God?" Dean asked incredulously. "Come on. How many…how many opportunities has God had to crack this pinata, and I don't see any candy on the floor, do you?"_

 _"Ok, then maybe it's not God. But uh…"_

 _"I know what you're trying to do here," Dean said. "You're trying to find some…some greater meaning to it all. Right? Some…fate to what went down. But I'm telling you, Sam. The Darkness? It's on us. And no one's gonna help us, certainly not God, so we'll have to figure this thing out, like we always do. But until then…We hunt. This case for starters, course this case is…"_

 _"It's just probably nothing," Sam finished for him._

 _"Yeah, probably nothing," Dean agreed._

 _Sam thought for a minute, but then got comfortable against the door again. "Goodnight, jerk."_

 _"Night, bitch."_

* * *

 _"Hey," Uncle Sam said as he got in the car. Ben got in the backseat with him and just shrugged to say they didn't find much._

 _"The coroner showed us the sheriff's body," Dad said. "And, uh, it was mauled all right."_

 _"And the heart was missing, and the body was completely drained of blood," Alec said. He smirked at his brother since his trip hadn't been pointless. He quickly took off his tie and tossed it on the floor. Ben scowled at him and quickly picked up the tie, setting it on the seat, so it wouldn't wrinkle. He rolled his eyes and shrugged out of the suit jacket too. The tie fell to the floor again, but neither of them bothered to pick it up this time. He hated dressing up like this, but it was the best way to pretend that they were going with their Dad as an internship kind of thing now that they were older._

 _"So, what? We're looking at a…a werewolf/vampire hybrid?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"Say it with me…a were-pyre, huh?" Dad said with a smile. He chuckled, liking the made-up name for whatever it was that they were hunting._

 _"No," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Come on," Dad urged._

 _"I'm not saying that," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Were-pyre," Alec said happily._

 _"That's my boy!" Dad said proudly. He smiled widely and looked over at Ben, but he just rolled his eyes at him and shook his head. "Anyway, I called Cas, told him to look into the lore. What do you got?"_

 _"Right, well, uh, the sheriff's replacement…Deputy Donelly…he's not the brightest bulb…" Uncle Sam said._

 _"He's an idiot," Ben muttered, taking off his tie too._

 _"Yeah," Uncle Sam said with a chuckle. "But we got a copy of his report. Maybe he missed something…"_

 _A deputy, probably Deputy Donelly, walked up to their car and greeted, "Agents."_

 _"Deputy," Dad said back._

 _"This must be your partner. Agent Walsh, right?" Donelly asked Uncle Sam, who nodded back. "And those two look like they belong to you," he said, looking back at him and his brother._

 _"Yeah, they're wanting to be Agents too someday, so they're doin' an internship kind of thing," Dad said._

 _"Well it's a pleasure to meet you," Donelly said. "I just want to thank you for stoppin' by. We really appreciate your due diligence."_

 _"Oh. Actually, uh, do you know a motel where we can crash for the night?" Dad asked._

 _"You're stayin'?" Donelly asked, surprised. He didn't really sound happy that they were sticking around for another day, which was weird, but maybe he just didn't like having people question him._

 _"Yeah, just wanna kick all the tires," Uncle Sam said with a smile._

 _"Well, uh, there's a motel on Downey that'll give you a good price," Donelly said. "And if you're looking for a decent meal, you can't beat Aunt Mel's, down by the train station. Parking is a bitch, but it's the best damn steak in the whole state."_

 _"You had me at 'steak'," Dad said with a smile._

 _"You're right, he is an idiot," Alec muttered once Dad pulled away from the police station. He slowly worked on getting his shirt unbuttoned, and then reached for the shirt he'd gotten from his duffle._

 _"He seemed weird when we said we were staying," Ben said, following his lead and changing. It was tricky getting changed in the backseat, but they had gotten really good at it over the years. "Here's your pants…"_

 _"Thanks," Alec replied._

 _"We're going to get food, right?" Ben asked Dad._

 _"'Course we are," Dad said with a smile. "Even if the guy is an idiot, we're not passin' up steak."_

 _"Good, 'cause I'm starving," Alec said._

 _"You're always starving," Dad said, amused._

 _"Dean pull over so we can change," Uncle Sam said._

 _He groaned dramatically as he got his jeans on. "Seriously? We both just got changed!"_

 _Dad looked back, surprised, and said, "You guys have gotten faster at that."_

 _"That's because we hate the suits," Ben said, looking over at him. He smirked back to his brother before he tossed him his boots. Ben grabbed their dress shirts, pants, and jackets and took them to the trunk once Dad stopped to change. "Look what I found," Ben said with a smile once he got back in the car. Dad and Uncle Sam were still changing, so Ben passed him a candy bar that he'd found in the trunk._

 _"You're awesome!" Alec said._

 _They quickly split the candy and ate it before Dad or Uncle Sam could get back in the car. Uncle Sam was on another health kick with his gross smoothies, and Dad would have said they were ruining their dinner, even though he knew how much they could eat._

 _Dad took off down the road again, and thankfully it didn't take too long to get to the restaurant._

 _"Oh, alright. Now we're cookin' with gas," Dad said as he pulled into the parking lot. "Valet?" Dad muttered with disgust. "What?"_

 _"Dean, people valet park all the time," Uncle Sam soothed. "Come on, live a little."_

 _He didn't like this anymore than Dad did. The Impala was their home. They shouldn't trust their home to some stranger. He and Ben shared a look, but Dad drove up to the valet area and slowly got out._

 _A girl with a red jacket walked up and said, "Welcome to Aunt Mel's, home of the-"_

 _"Yeah, listen, uh, Jessie," Dad said, looking at the girl's nametag. He and Ben slowly got out of the car and glared at the girl. "Not a scratch, ok?" Dad said. The girl nodded and took the key from his Dad. He didn't want to move as the girl got in the Impala, but Dad grabbed his arm and steered him over to the restaurant._

* * *

 _He and Alec glared at the valet girl again once she came back with the Impala, but they were full now, so they were in a better mood. Dad seemed pretty happy too, and even gave the girl a tip for taking care of the Impala for them._

 _"So, what's next?' Dad asked, glancing over at Uncle Sam._

 _"I want to, uh, talk to sheriff's widow," Uncle Sam said. "Lily Markham. Maybe she knows something about why her husband was out in the woods in the first place."_

 _"Alright, well, I'll drop you off," Dad said. "I wanna go back to the woods where they found the body. Something wasn't right about those crime scene photos…" Dad glanced back at them and asked, "You two splitting up again, or sticking together?"_

 _He looked over at Alec, who nodded back to him. "Sticking together," Ben said. "We wanna see the crime scene."_

 _Dad chuckled, "Ok, you two can come with me."_

 _He passed over extra ammo to his brother once Dad dropped Uncle Sam off, and then Alec tried to give him a knife in return, but he shook his head no. Alec shrugged and put the knife in his boot before he checked his gun. They were just going to the crime scene, but he and Alec always geared up just in case. Their training pretty much required for them to be ready for anything, and with hunting, it was always better to be prepared._

 _"C'mon boys," Dad said, getting out of the car._

 _They walked around the area near the woods, but he could tell something was off about all of this. Everything looked staged to him, and he could tell Alec and Dad thought so too. Dad's phone suddenly started to ring, but it seemed like Dad didn't hear it since it was still in the car._

 _"Dad, your phone's ringing," Ben said, walking back to the Impala with Alec following him._

 _"If it's Uncle Sam or Cas, go ahead and answer it," Dad said, crouching down to look at something._

 _He nodded and picked up the phone, putting it on speaker in case Dad came over too. "Hey Cas," Ben said._

 _"How's it going?" Alec asked._

 _"I'm mostly confused," Cas said. "I'm not sure how orange correlates with black in a way that's new…"_

 _Alec groaned, "C'mon Cas, we give you the gift of Netflix and you watch that?"_

 _"Normally you pick," Cas said. "I wasn't sure what it was that we usually watch…or if I should even watch it without you."_

 _"Ok, that's acceptable," Alec said._

 _"Hey Cas," Dad said, walking up to them. "You find anything in the lore?"_

 _"Well, there is a creature that feeds on hearts and blood," Cas said._

 _"A were-pyre, you might say?" Dad asked with a smile. "Come on, I know you wanna say it."_

 _"In the lore, it's referred to as a "Whisper'," Cas said._

 _"That's lame," Dad muttered with disappointment._

 _Alec looked disappointed too, but at least it was looking more like a case. "Silver will kill it, but you may want to decapitate it just to be sure," Cas said._

 _"Alright, sounds good," Dad said. "We're at the crime scene now. It was staged. The body was dragged. There were no signs of struggle."_

 _"Body was moved there to look more like an animal attack?" Cas asked, surprised._

 _"Yeah, maybe," Dad muttered. "It was pretty sloppy though. You, uh…what else you got on these things?"_

 _"Listen to this," Cas said. "Whispers have a fascinating history."_

 _He and Alec looked up at the same time when another vehicle pulled up behind theirs. "Great…here comes Deputy Dumbass," Alec muttered under his breath. He chuckled and pushed his brother, making him laugh too._

 _"Hang on," Dad said to Cas as they walked away from the car. Cas must not have heard them though because he kept talking even though they weren't listening anymore. "Deputy," Dad greeted._

 _"What's going on, Agent?" Donelly asked._

 _"We're just taking a look at the crime scene," Dad said. "Thought the boys should take a look for their internship." Dad led the way over to the crime scene, and he could hear Cas still talking from the car. Dad pointed out how the tracks didn't really match up with an animal attack. The deputy nodded along, but then suddenly grabbed Dad._

 _Alec moved faster than he did, probably ready for some kind of attack since he hardly trusted anyone. The deputy elbowed Alec hard in the chest to knock him back, and then punched Dad. He ran over and tried to get the guy into a headlock, but he easily knocked him down. Alec and Dad both punched the deputy, but then Alec was thrown onto the hood of the car, so Dad slammed the deputy against the open door, making it shut._

 _Dad quickly got his gun out and fired three times into Donelly's chest, making blood splatter all over the side of the car. He ran over to help Alec up, who did not look happy, but that was probably because he'd gotten the wind knocked out of him. Dad opened the car door again, and suddenly he could hear Cas asking, "Dean? Dean, are you alright? I hear gunshots. Dean! Dean? Dean!"_

 _"Ah, it turns out I did shoot the deputy," Dad said with a smirk. Dad winced because of a bruise already starting to form at his eye._

 _"Wait, Dean, is…is everything-"_

 _"The deputy was a were-pyre," Dad said. "It's alright. Silver bullets worked."_

 _"No, Dean, listen," Cas said. "According to the lore, the timing is off. The next solar eclipse in North America is years away. It can't be a-"_

 _"Hang on," Dad said._

 _The deputy growled, but Alec shot the guy before Dad could. Dad smiled and ruffled Alec's hair as he got up and went back to the trunk. Dad came back with a machete and sliced off Donelly's head as soon as he stood up. He and Alec jumped back as the head landed on the windshield._

 _"Cool," Alec whispered._

 _Dad chuckled but got back in and talked to Cas again, "Scratch that. You gotta cut off their…" His eyes widened when Donelly's head growled and the mouth started moving again. Dad turned on the car and started the wipers, making the head fall off the windshield and onto the ground. "Boys, c'mon," Dad said._

 _Dad slid over to the driver's seat, and Alec walked over to sit on the passenger side. He walked over to the severed head, fascinated that the mouth was still moving even though it was completely separated from the body. He pushed the head slightly with the toe of his boot, making it growl and snarl at him._

 _"Dean, it's not a Whisper," Cas said._

 _"Yeah, I'm starting to get that…Give me a second," Dad said, getting out of the car again. "Ben don't touch it," Dad said with a sigh._

 _"But Dad, this shouldn't be possible," Ben said._

 _"Get the cooler from the backseat," Dad said. "Just take out the drinks that are left, ok?"_

 _"Ok…" Ben muttered, getting the cooler like Dad had asked. He dumped out the ice, and then held it open, so Dad could put the severed head in there. "It could have a little motion after the initial death, but it shouldn't be able to move this long," Ben tried again._

 _"It's a monster, buddy, which means it gets to do weird shit," Dad said. He nodded and put the cooler in the backseat before he sat next to it. Dad got back in too, and then passed back his phone. He opened the cooler again and took some pictures before he gave the phone back. "Cas, you there?" Dad asked._

 _"Of course. What's going on?" Cas asked._

 _"Well, whatever it is, silver slows it down," Dad said. "I, uh, I'm sending you a picture right now…of it's fangs. I've never seen anything like it. See if there's a match in the lore, would ya?"_

 _"I'm on it," Cas said._

 _Dad frowned and hung up before he called someone else. "Dean, I got jumped," Uncle Sam said as a greeting._

 _"You ok?" Dad asked._

 _"I think…for now," Uncle Sam said. "Pretty sure we're dealing with a pack here. Uh, two of these things were attacking Mrs. Markham when I arrived. I filled them with silver, but it only slowed them down."_

 _"Yeah, well, Deputy Dumbass is one of them as well," Dad said. Alec turned around to look back at him and gave him a wide smile, happy that Dad had used the nickname he had given the deputy. He chuckled since the weirdest things always made Alec happy, but that was one of the reasons why his brother was awesome. "He's, uh, he's in two pieces and still alive. Where you at now?"_

 _"Mrs. Markham was knocked out," Uncle Sam said. "I-I carried her to the house nearby. Here, I'll text you the address now."_

 _"Alright, sit tight," Dad said. "I'm on my way." Dad hung up, but then muttered, "Everybody's gettin' jumped…" Dad looked over at Alec, and then looked back at him before he asked, "You two ok?"_

 _"I'm good," Ben said._

 _"Me too," Alec mumbled._

 _"Alright…let's go get Uncle Sam."_

* * *

 _He picked up Sam, and his brother got Mrs. Markham into the backseat, next to Ben. Alec was sitting up front with him and Sam since the cooler was still in the backseat, so there wasn't enough room back there. He wished Ben could sit up front with them too, but there wasn't enough room for them to do that anymore since the boys were bigger now. He wasn't sure where to go, but he felt better being in the car, all together again._

 _"Door was open when I got to the house," Sam said. "By the time I searched through it, they'd already beaten her unconscious."_

 _"Maybe she knew something," Dean said._

 _"Or something about what happened to her husband," Ben said._

 _"So what, they tried to take her out while the deputy went back to the scene?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah, he went to fix it up. Found us," Dean muttered. His phone started ringing, so he quickly answered, "Hey, Cas, tell me you got something that doesn't involve chicks in prison."_

 _"Bet you never thought you'd say that out loud," Sam teased. Alec chuckled, making Sam ruffle his hair. His little boy was being quiet, so he was either mad about something, or his chest was hurting more than he was letting on._

 _"It's a Nachzehrer," Cas said._

 _"Come again?" Sam asked._

 _"A ghoul and vampire-like creature," Cas said._

 _"A ghoul-pyre!" Alec said, beating him to it. He laughed and nodded in agreement with his son._

 _"Some breeds feed on the flesh of the dead," Cas said. "Others feed on the blood and hearts of the living. They run in small packs, but they usually keep an extremely low profile…"_

 _"Great. So, how do we kill 'em?" Dean asked._

 _"Well, they're already dead. So, in a manner of speaking, they just need to be reminded that they're dead. You need a Charon's obol," Cas said._

 _"Of course," Sam said, instantly understanding. His brother looked over at him, and then explained, "Yeah, in ancient Greece, uh, when a person died, some people believed you had to put an obol, or a-a coin, in their mouth so they can use it as currency to be taken across the river to the underworld."_

 _"Right, you place a coin in a Nachzehrer's mouth, then sever their head, and that will kill them," Cas said. "And according to the lore, if you kill the pack's Alpha, everyone they've turned will revert back to human form."_

 _"Awesome," Dean grumbled. "Alright, where do we find an obol?"_

 _"Well, according o the Men of Letters' records, you're gonna need a copper coin," Cas said. "They used to use pennies, so you'll need one of those."_

 _"Yeah, but one minted pre-1982," Ben said. "Before 1982, pennies were 95% copper. Since then, they're only copper-plated zinc…"_

 _"How did you pass your nerdiness on to_ my _kids?" Dean asked Sam._

 _"You passed_ your _nerdiness on to your kids. I had no part in that," Sam said, amused._

 _He rolled his eyes, but then said, "Alright, well, thanks Cas. Good work. Way to come off the bench."_

 _"What bench?" Cas asked, confused._

 _"Baseball thing, Cas, don't worry about it," Alec said._

 _"Just get back to getting better, ok?" Sam said. He hung up as Sam started checking his pockets for coins. "Got nothing…"_

 _"Well, yeah, I mean, who carries pennies these days anyway," Dean muttered._

 _He drove to the closest store and stopped, so they could actually try to get some change. "I'll go check," Sam said._

 _"Can I go too?" Ben asked, glancing over at Mrs. Markham, and then at Alec. "We're out of sodas…"_

 _"Yeah, c'mon," Sam said, opening the back door for Ben to get out._

 _Alec scooted over, so they could both have more space, and then messed with the radio while they waited. He heard Mrs. Markham shift in the backseat, so he turned slightly and said, "Mrs. Markham? Mrs. Markham." She looked at him, so he reassured, "It's ok. I'm Dean Winchester, this is my son, Alec. My brother…Sam, he, um-"_

 _"Where am I?" Mrs. Markham asked, confused._

 _"You were attacked by the same people that killed your husband," Dean explained._

 _"My husband…"_

 _Alec glanced over at him and shrugged before he went back to pushing buttons on the radio. He must have found a station he liked because he sat back again and looked out the window to watch Sam talking to the girl at the counter inside. "Do you know something about what happened to him?" Dean asked. "Maybe that's why these people attacked you?" She still didn't answer him, so he said, "Ok. Well, we're gonna take you someplace safe, alight? And then we're gonna kill these sons of bitches." She looked over at the cooler that was sitting on the seat next to her, and then opened the top of it. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said, quickly slamming the lid shut again once Donelly started growling. Mrs. Markham looked shocked at what she had just saw, but Alec was laughing to himself because of it._

 _"I, uh, I could explain that…" Alec looked over at him and raised his eyebrows in a silent question, so he amended, "Well, maybe not. Uh, it's like the thing that attacked you, ok? It's-it's a ghoul-pyre. The point is, it can't hurt you anymore…At least, I don't think it…" She looked seriously freaked out, so he got out and opened the back door. "Let's…let's just get rid of it. Here we go…" He grabbed the cooler and quickly put it in the trunk, and then got back in the car. "Ok…there we go. You ok?"_

 _Mrs. Markham was quiet for a few seconds, but then said, slightly monotone, "Your family. You do anything for them, don't you?"_

 _Alec made a face at him, which said 'this lady is totally crazy pants'. He smiled though and ruffled Alec's hair. "Absolutely. Yeah, but not if it costs too much," he said with a chuckle._

 _"No. You do everything for them. Everything else is meaningless," she said. Maybe she was just really sad about her husband's death, and then getting attacked. Normal people would be freaked out about that. "But I did it wrong," she said. "I've ruined everything."_

 _"This isn't your fault," Dean reassured._

 _"I put my family at risk," she said. "They were right to attack me. But I know how to make it right."_

 _Alec looked over at him in confusion, but then he yelled in surprise, that was quickly cut off by something wrapped around his neck. He immediately moved to stop Mrs. Markham from strangling his son, but she elbowed his temple hard, making him see stars._

 _Alec pulled on whatever was wrapped around his neck, but it wouldn't give. He moved again to try to help, but Mrs. Markham punched him, forcing him back again. He saw Alec kick the dashboard, pushing himself over the bench seat instead of struggling to free himself again. His son's plan worked, and he surprised Mrs. Markham into releasing the thing wrapped around this neck. Alec pulled what turned out to be his tie up to the front and started coughing to try to breathe again._

 _He quickly punched Mrs. Markham while she was still surprised from Alec getting free, but she took the hit, and then immediately punched him back. Mrs. Markham must have sensed Alec moving because she turned and slammed his head against the back window, shattering it. He punched her again and dragged her over the bench seat to get her away from Alec, who was definitely a little more out of it now._

 _He took another hard punch to the face, and then three hard punches to his side. Mrs. Markham was suddenly pulled away from him again as Alec forced her back over the bench seat. Even though Alec was out of it, he still got a few good hits in, but then Mrs. Markham got the upper hand and threw him down to the floorboard._

 _He quickly climbed over the bench seat to try to distract her but was hit back against the door. Alec grunted in pain, and then he heard a hard thunk as she slammed his head against the door, knocking him out. He pulled on her hair, and she turned and punched him again and again until he was practically unconscious._

 _She pushed him, so he was laying on the back seat before she got out and got into the driver's seat. She started the car and floored it. He could hear gunshots, and then the back window shattered, so at least Sam knew something was wrong. There wasn't much he could do since his vision blacked out after a minute._

 _When he woke up again, he was barely conscious, but he could see Alec passed out below him. His son's face was bloody, and there was a deep red mark from where the tie had nearly strangled him, but his chest was rising and falling with his shallow breathing. He could tell that the car was parked now, but he still couldn't do much._

 _"Alec…" he breathed. "Alec…c'mon kiddo…need…need you to wake up…"_

 _"See?" Mrs. Markham said outside. "That wasn't so hard. I can make this right. I can make this right."_

 _"C'mon kiddo…just for a second…" Dean whispered. He started to move his hand, feeling like he was going in slow motion. But before he could reach out to his son, Mrs. Markham was opening the door, wrenching his arm back and putting cuffs around his wrists. She reached over him and cuffed Alec's wrists together too before she got in on the passenger side of the car. The deputy got in and drove off again._

 _He barely smiled when Alec finally got his eyes open a little bit after a few miles. He was just about to reassure his son that everything was ok, but he groaned when he was suddenly pulled up to a sitting position._

 _"I know you're a hunter," Donelly said._

 _"And I know you're a Nachzeher," Dean said, his voice weak. "The maker, right? The pack Alpha?"_

 _"Well, maybe you're not as dumb as you look," Donelly said._

 _"Thought you and yours like to keep a low profile," Dean muttered._

 _"Sadly, rookies like Lily here aren't up to snuff when it comes to keeping their feeding quiet," Donelly said._

 _"So, you killed your husband," Dean guessed. He felt around behind him to try to find something he could use to get out of the cuffs. He found something that might work, but he wasn't sure what it was. A hairpin? It didn't matter. He got it in his hand, and slowly worked at getting the cuffs unlocked._

 _"He wouldn't join us," Mrs. Markham stated. "People who don't join are food. But I messed up, and I…I didn't bury him right."_

 _"It's my fault, really," Donelly said. "You weren't properly trained. But everyone deserves a mulligan, don't they?" Donelly looked over at Mrs. Markham and said, "That's all my people were trying to do, Lily. They weren't going to kill you. Hell, I need you. I need all the help I can get."_

 _"How many have you turned?" Dean asked._

 _"In the first hundred years? Three," Donelly said. "In the last month? 16."_

 _"What, are you trying to field a baseball team?" Dean asked, concerned about the number of monsters this guy decided to create. He looked over at Alec, but his eyes were closed again._

 _"It's like I said, I need help, every strong hand I can find," Donelly said. "And I need an army to fight the Darkness. Oh, it's comin', for all of us. There's nothing hunters or any human can do about it."_

 _"Do you know how to stop it?" Dean asked._

 _"I don't think anything can stop it," Donelly said. "I'm just tryin' to buy some time, so I'm turning as many strong men and women as I can. Your brother and your boys will make a fine addition to the rank and file." He glared at the man, but that didn't stop him. "While you slept, I sent him a text message from your phone. Oh, he's heading into a trap right now with your other son…" He looked over at Alec again and saw that he was awake now and looking back at him with panic. He wanted to reassure him that his brother was going to be ok, but he couldn't right now. "You'd make a good soldier too, but you cut off my head, and I can't stand for that," Donelly said. He smirked a little since he didn't regret cutting off the guy's head, and really, he couldn't wait to do it again. "Don't worry. I'm an every part of the buffalo kind of guy. Your death won't go to waste. You'll be your brother's first meal."_

 _He got the cuffs off, and then lunged across the bench seat, grabbing Donelly and forcing him to swerve. He silently said sorry to his Baby as they crashed into some construction stuff, making him black out again._

 _He woke up still in the backseat, so that was good, but now he really hurt. He slowly and painfully sat up, but then remembered Alec, and immediately looked for him. Alec was slowly coming around again, so he breathed, "Hey kiddo…you ok?" Alec briefly closed his eyes in pain before he opened them again and slowly nodded. "Ok, let's get you up, ok?" Dean said, helping his kid off of the floorboard. Alec sagged against him, "C'mon Alec, we've still gotta making it out of here, ok?"_

 _"Ok…" Alec managed to breathe._

 _He leaned Alec back against the seat, and then looked around for something he could use against this guy. He saw the machete on the floor, but frowned when he saw a pink, girly bag that he'd never seen before. He slowly reached down and picked it up before he started to look through it._

 _"Dad…" Alec whispered._

 _He looked to the front instead of looking at Alec because he knew Alec only spoke because he was trying to warn him. He grabbed the machete just in time for Donelly to open the back door. He quickly got out of the car to keep the fight away from his son. He hit Donelly, but then he was thrown against the Impala, shattering the two windows on the driver's side. He tried to hold Donelly back, but then he was being pulled into the car by Mrs. Markham through the broken window._

 _She was trying to choke him, but she was suddenly pulled away by Alec. His son had gotten the chain from his cuffs around her throat and was pulling her over the bench seat. "How do you like it, bitch," Alec growled. Mrs. Markham tried to twist around to get away, but Alec was pissed._

 _Donelly suddenly hit him again, and then they were going over the bench seat. The back of the Impala definitely wasn't big enough for all four of them fighting. The Impala wasn't big enough for any kind of fighting. He was thrown back against Mrs. Markham, but then he heard Alec yell in surprise as he tumbled out of the car, Mrs. Markham right behind him._

 _He was distracted from keeping an eye on his son because Donelly hit him again. But he heard Alec cry out in pain and got another burst of energy and managed to get Donelly on his back. He beat the shit out of him once he got the upper hand, and then reached for the little coin purse he'd found earlier. He dumped all the coins in his hand and shoved them into Donelly's mouth, making him yell._

 _He quickly got out on the opposite side of Alec and drug Donelly out too. He got the guy's neck lined up just right, and then slammed the back door shut. He opened it, and then slammed it again and again until the guy's head was lying in the floorboard. He threw the decapitated head out of his car before he ran over to the other side to check on Alec._

 _Mrs. Markham was only semiconscious next to Alec, and his son was holding his hand to his bleeding neck. "Alec, hey, can you hear me kiddo?" Dean asked, kneeling next to him. Alec slowly nodded and struggled to sit up. He quickly got the cuffs off of him before he helped him sit up, and then held him close. "You ok?" Dean asked, scanning him to try to figure out all of his injuries. He definitely didn't look ok, but they were both alive._

 _"Oh my God," Mrs. Markham breathed, slowly sitting up next to Alec. He tried to pull his son away from her, but she looked less crazy, so that was good._

 _He ignored her and looked at Alec again. "C'mon kiddo, let me see your neck."_

 _"I…I'm ok," Alec breathed. "I never wanna wear a tie again…" He chuckled and kissed the side of his head, and then carefully helped him up to his feet before he got him into the passenger seat._

 _"My kids…my kids," Mrs. Markham said, looking at him. "They turned my kids. They're with the others. Please."_

 _"Sam and Ben…" he muttered. "Yeah, yeah…come on, get in." He walked around and got behind the wheel while Mrs. Markham got into the backseat. He looked over to make sure Alec was still ok before he tried to start the Impala. "Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on," he repeated under his breath as he tried to get his car to start. He finally got the Impala to rumble to life, "Yeah! There we go…" He looked over at Alec and smiled when he saw his son was already smiling. "Hang on, ok?"_

 _Alec nodded, so he practically floored it in reverse. He saw Mrs. Markham reach for the door handle, which made him smirk, but Alec was still calm beside him. His son was used to him driving fast, which was probably why he had a lead foot when he tried to teach him how to drive._

 _"Stay here," Dean said to Alec once he found where Sam and Ben were being held with the other ghoul-pyres. He could tell Alec didn't like that idea because he was looking at where Sam and Ben were standing together, both looking beat up and bloody. But his son knew when he needed a break, so he nodded his agreement after a little hesitation._

 _He and Mrs. Markham got out, and Mrs. Markham ran to her kids while he went to Sam and Ben, who were limping towards him. He quickly hugged Ben close, trying to find what injuries he had. "Alec?" Ben asked, clearly concerned about his brother._

 _"He's hurting, but we're good," Dean reassured. Ben nodded but immediately ran over to the Impala to check on his brother. "Probably nothing, right?" Dean teased, moving to help his brother walk since he was limping pretty badly without Ben around. Sam huffed a laugh, but he sounded like he was in pain. "Everybody alright back there?" Dean asked._

 _"Uh, yeah. They all changed back," Sam said. "So, it was Deputy Dumbass, huh?"_

 _"Yeah…Deputy Dumbass. You know, he was trying to build an army," Dean muttered. He helped Sam into the backseat next to Ben. He didn't want to move Alec right now, so until they stopped, Ben would just have to sit in the back with his Uncle instead of his brother._

 _"Yeah, I know, to fight the Darkness. Dean, even the monsters are scared," Sam said._

 _"Well, let 'em be," Dean said, slowly getting behind the wheel again. "We're gonna end this thing now."_

 _"Would you mind starting tomorrow?" Sam asked, smiling at him._

 _He chuckled and nodded, "Deal."_

 _"Deal," Sam agreed._

 _"Maybe I can talk Cas into fixing you guys up," Dean said._

 _"Only if he fixes you up too," Sam said._

 _He knew Cas wouldn't heal the boys, so rest was going to be the way to heal, but he sarcastically replied, "Ok, mom." He shot a smirk back at Sam, and then looked at his boys. "Let's go home."_

 _"You know what?" Sam said, also looking at Ben and Alec. "We are home."_

 _He smiled and worked on starting the car again. "There's my girl," he breathed when he got his Baby to start. He looked at his family again before he slowly headed back to Kansas._

* * *

Present

They were quiet as they geared up. They both had angel blades, demon trap bullets, the demon knife, and holy water, but he knew it still wouldn't be enough. He still felt better with all the gear though. He didn't want to call Crowley, but he wanted Dad back, so this was their only option. They were outside of the bunker on a side road a few miles away just because he didn't want the demon in their home, even for just a few minutes. They hadn't brought the Impala out with them either, since that was their home too.

"I'll do the talking," Ben said softly. "Just give me the signal if you want to attack, and we'll take him out."

He smirked to cover up how he really felt and teased, "Dude, that'll be as soon as he appears. Better not go with what I want on this one."

Ben looked at him as if he knew there was truth underneath his joke, but he didn't call him on it. "You ready?"

"No," Alec said. "But we better get on with it. Make the call."

Ben dialed Crowley's number, and before it could even ring twice, Crowley appeared right in front of them. "Hello boys," Crowley said. "Where's Squirrel and Moose? Didn't think they let the Chipmunks talk to me."

"They don't know we called," Ben said. Technically it was true since Dad and Uncle Sam were in another universe. "What else do you know about alternate universes?"

"I told you everything I know," Crowley said. "You just need to get Jack to figure out how to open the door."

"We were looking for something faster than that," Ben said. "Like a spell or something."

"It's funny, I always heard Alec was the talker," Crowley said, changing the subject. "Yet, he hasn't said a word. Are you still scared of me, pet?"

He felt like throwing up, but Ben quickly moved in front of him and growled, "You're talking to me. Now, answer the question. Is there a spell to get us into another universe?"

"Juliet misses you," Crowley said to him. "She loved chasing you around…sinking her teeth into your legs…I have to say, I miss watching you run around, looking everywhere for her but-"

He jumped when a gunshot tore through the air. Crowley yelled in anger and held his right shoulder, but Ben looked back at him and said, "Guess we're goin' with plan B."

"Guess you boys Missed the MEMO!" Crowley yelled. "WE'RE ON THE SAME SIDE!"

"Shut up or you're getting another bullet," Ben said. "You don't talk to him, you talk to me. If you say anything I don't like, you're getting another bullet." Ben took a small step forward, but kept his gun aimed at Crowley. "Is there a spell to open a door to another universe?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask mother," Crowley growled.

"Call her," Ben said.

"What makes you think I-"

Ben fired again, shooting Crowley in the left leg. Crowley yelled again and his eyes glowed red, which made him grab Ben's arm and take a step back. "We should go," Alec whispered.

Ben nodded in agreement, so they both turned to leave, but stopped when more people appeared out of thin air, surrounding them. They both got out their angel blades, but they didn't attack yet.

"Crowley," a man with a thick southern accent, wearing a white suit, said as he walked past the ring of people. "I've been looking everywhere for you, and here you are. I thought I'd need a few more demons this time around since you slipped away last time, but I see you're already trapped."

"Asmodeus," Crowley said. "I thought you would have known to stay away after you lost our last fight."

"I didn't lose. You ran like the coward you are," Asmodeus said. "But I have you now, and I'm taking you back to hell, so your demons can see what happens if they follow their King." Asmodeus looked at them as if he just then noticed they were there. " _Children_ are the ones who trapped you?" Asmodeus asked in amusement. "I believe you are not as good as you thought you were."

"Those two are the offspring of Dean Winchester," Crowley said with a smirk. "I assume you've heard of the Winchesters, haven't you?" Asmodeus raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. "See, me and Dean are besties, and I know that he has this sixth sense when his chipmunks are in danger. He'll be here shortly, and he has a track record of killing princes of hell."

"Winchester," Asmodeus said, thinking. "Wasn't is rumored that Lucifer's son was with the Winchesters…" He tightened his grip on his angel blade, waiting for the signal from Ben that they should attack. "Grab them," Asmodeus ordered.

They didn't need to even look at each other to know what to do. They both turned so they were back to back and got ready to fight. He smirked at the first demon who ran up to him because fighting was something he could understand. He forgot about Crowley and Asmodeus and dodged the blade that was headed his way. He stabbed the demon in the chest before he could have another chance at him, and then ducked as another tried to catch him off guard.

"Duck," Ben said, and he did without question. Ben shot the demon that had just swung at him while he stabbed another one that was getting too close to his brother.

They worked together until all the demons were dead except for Crowley and Asmodeus. They turned at the same time to face the two demons. Asmodeus slowly clapped and took a few steps towards them. "That was impressive. But as much as I enjoyed that, I will need to know where the Nephilim is. Tell me and I'll make your deaths quick."

"No," Alec stated.

He heard Ben gasp beside him, and he looked over to see his brother put his hand to his throat like he couldn't breathe. He immediately reached for his brother, but Ben looked at him and shook his head no.

"Tell me where the Nephilim is," Asmodeus demanded, walking closer to him.

Ben fell to his knees, still trying to gasp in a breath. "No," Alec said, refusing to back down.

"I could snap my fingers and break every bone in your body," Asmodeus said. He caught sight of Crowley's glowing red eyes, but he stayed focused on Asmodeus.

"I've had worse," Alec said.

"Your brother is dying," Asmodeus pointed out.

"You kill him, you'll never know where Jack is," Alec said. "You'll just have to kill us both, because that's how much information you're gonna get, you asshole."

Ben passed out next to him, but he refused to look at his brother because then he'd cave. "We'll see," Asmodeus said. He grunted in pain as Asmodeus punched his left side, breaking half of his ribs on that side. He fell when Asmodeus followed up with a knee to his thigh, nearly breaking the bone. He was hit hard across the face, dropping him the rest of the way to the ground and blacking out his vision for a minute.

He just barely saw that Crowley was no longer where they had trapped him before he passed out.

* * *

 _Hope you guys liked it! Sorry there wasn't any from the other two present timelines, but it's up to the twins to figure this out, so for a while it'll just be them. More soon!_


	20. Chapter 20

_Hope there's still some interest in this story, I swear there is a plan even if it doesn't seem like it! This chapter has flashbacks from season 6 and season 12._

* * *

Chapter 20

 _2011_

 _He woke up in the smallest cell he'd ever been in. He could barely move it was so small. He was curled up on the floor, but he didn't know where he was or what was going on. He remembered three people came into his room back at Lisa's house and had attacked him. He assumed it was Manticore since they would definitely take him back if they found him, but he thought he'd be thrown back into psy-ops if they found him. But now that he thought about it, the three people had smelled like sulfur, so maybe it was demons that had attacked him._

 _He tried to shift to get more comfortable, but he could only move a little bit. He had to hold in a whimper when he moved because he'd gotten hurt in the fight. His sides hurt and his face hurt but he didn't think anything was broken. He had gotten a few cuts from the fight that had bled earlier, but they seemed to be healed now. His wrists were chained together and there was something around his neck, with a chain connected to it. He didn't like having it around his neck. He felt like he was choking with it around his neck. He tried to look around for a way out of there, but it was pitch black and the cell was too small to turn around completely._

 _He wished his Dad was here. He wanted to cuddle next to him and watch movies all day and eat ice cream. He already missed his Dad, but he knew he would find him. Dad wouldn't stop until he found him. He just had to hold on for his Dad to find him again. Dad would find him and get him out of here._

* * *

 _He woke up when something clanged outside of his cell. His muscles hurt from laying in the same spot for so long, but he knew this was going to be his chance to try to get out. But he choked suddenly as the chain was yanked. He was pulled out of the cell, but he flinched against the blinding light. It took a minute to adjust, but then he saw a man in a black suit sitting in the middle of the room._

 _"So, what do they call you?" The man asked. He just glared back, refusing to give anything away. "You look just like Dean…they were smart to hide you from me."_

 _"Who are you?" Alec asked._

 _"I'm Crowley," he said. The name sounded a little familiar, but he'd never met the demon before. He knew he was a demon, and he thought he had the Colt at one time, but that's about all he knew. "Now will you tell me your name?" He still refused to answer since he didn't want this guy to know his name. "Fine. I'll just call you Chipmunk."_

 _Crowley stood up and walked closer to him, but he quickly scooted back. He choked when the chain was yanked again, and unfortunately, he saw that Crowley was holding the chain._

 _"You be a good pet and come over here," Crowley said. He choked again when he refused to move any closer to the demon. He was forced over to the chair where Crowley was sitting, but yelled when his hair was pulled, forcing him up from the floor. "Don't worry Chipmunk, you'll learn."_

* * *

 _He shook uncontrollably in his cell. There wasn't enough room to really have a seizure, but he couldn't stop shaking. He hurt all the time because of them, and he hurt because he was in the tiny cell all the time, and he missed his Dad. He wished Dad would find him, but he didn't know how he could. Dad probably thought he'd left…_

 _He quickly blinked away tears and tried not to think about Dad not looking for him. He had to believe Dad was looking for him. He knew Dad would look for him. He was his Dad and he knew Dad would find him. Dad had lost Uncle Sam, he knew he wouldn't be able to lose him too. Dad would find him._

 _He tried again to get the cuffs off his wrists, but all he was doing was making them bleed more. He had hoped that the blood would help him wiggle free, but it didn't, and he didn't want to break his thumb to get out since he didn't even know if getting out of the cuffs would really help him. He wanted to escape, but so far all of his attempts were very short. And there were serious consequences when he got caught trying to escape._

 _He just wanted his Dad again._

* * *

 _"Come here Chipmunk," Crowley called out. He tried to move but he was shaking too much, which meant the chain was pulled and he choked and gagged as he was dragged out. "Aren't you a sad little thing," Crowley said. "Aren't my demons feeding you?" He looked away, but nodded, hoping that he wouldn't get punished for this. "Don't worry pet, I won't let Juliet chase you today."_

 _He nodded again and whispered, "Thank you."_

 _"Good pet," Crowley said. "I'll get you some food." Crowley snapped, and then another demon was bringing a plate of food over. He dragged himself over to the food, but then had to lay down since he felt like he was going to pass out. He reached out a shaking hand and slowly ate the little bites of chicken with his fingers. A glass of water was brought to him, and thankfully it had a straw in it, so he wouldn't have to sit up to drink it. Another demon brought over a bag of ice and gave it to him, so he could put it on his broken ribs._

 _He knew Crowley was only being nice to him, so he would believe that things were going to get better, only to make it all worse whenever the torture started again. He didn't believe Crowley could actually be nice, so his plan wasn't going to work. He was just going to enjoy the small kindness while he could. As long as that stupid hellhound wasn't chasing him, then he was actually kind of happy. He hated that stupid hellhound since he couldn't see it and it liked to bite and scratch his legs. He knew it could tear him apart, but it must have had orders not to kill him because it only ever gave him superficial wounds._

 _"Chipmunk move over here so I can conduct business," Crowley said. He grabbed his cup and put in on his plate before he slowly crawled where he was told to go. He would take any time he could get outside of his cell. He could hardly move when he was let out of his cell since he couldn't move when he was in there. Crowley usually left him in his cell for days at a time, which meant he was filthy and always in pain. But he was out right now, and he was going to enjoy it while it lasted._

 _He laid on the floor and ate the little bites of chicken while Crowley went about his work._

* * *

 _He cried and tried to breathe but he couldn't. The cell was too small. He couldn't move. The thing around his neck was choking him. He needed to get out of there, but he couldn't. He was gasping in as much air as he could, but it wasn't enough._

 _He couldn't stop the tears either. He'd tried so hard not to cry while he was here, but he hurt, he was still seizing, he couldn't move, and he wanted his Dad. He wanted to go home. He didn't want to be here anymore. He didn't know how long he had been trapped here but he wanted to go home._

 _He cried more, which hurt his ribs. He couldn't breathe though. The space was too small. He couldn't even stretch his legs. He had to lay in the same spot all the time. He wanted to be in the Impala again. He wanted to go home, and he wanted his Dad to be there._

 _He cried until he passed out._

* * *

 _"Run little Chipmunk," Crowley teased._

 _He couldn't go too far because of the thing around his neck, but he didn't want the hellhound to get ahold of him either. He ran around the small space and tried to figure out where the thing was. He could hear it growling but he couldn't tell where it was. He ran again, but then felt a tearing in his leg._

 _He cried out in pain as he fell and held his leg. He could feel the hellhound's hot breath as it huffed in his face. He flinched back, which made Crowley laugh. The hellhound's huge paw hit his side to try to get him to run some more but he didn't think he could even get up. His leg hurt, his side hurt, and he was still seizing._

 _The chain around his neck was yanked, and he was pulled a few feet across the floor. He whimpered and curled into a ball to try to make it all just go away. He forced himself up to his hands and knees, but was yanked again, making him fall on his face. He just laid there while Crowley laughed at him. The hellhound pushed at him with its paw again, but he was too tired to even try to get away._

 _"He's no fun right now," Crowley said. "Put him back in the cell."_

* * *

 _He wished he knew how long it had been since he'd been taken from his Dad. It felt like years, but he didn't know for sure. He was filthy and he was even thinner than he used to be. Dad was going to throw a fit when he found him. He couldn't wait until Dad found him. He was going to hug his Dad and never let go. And he was going to sleep all stretched out over any bed he wanted, and he was going to eat everything. Even vegetables. At least for a while. And he was going to never where pjs again. He'd been wearing the same pjs since he'd been taken, and these were torn up and covered in his blood. He would sleep in his jeans, and definitely his boots. His boots were going to be full of knives and he would stab anyone who ever tried to take him again._

 _He was going to sleep with Dad every night from now on. No more of this needing his own room crap. And they were moving out of Lisa's house. He'd given it a try, but he wasn't going to do normal anymore. They didn't have to hunt, but it was just going to be him and Dad. They could stay with Bobby, he would be ok with that. But they weren't going to live like normal people. He wanted to travel and go places and just stay with his Dad._

 _But he felt like he was never going to see his Dad again. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on. Everything hurt. He couldn't stop seizing and he wasn't sure how much damage this was doing to him. He couldn't escape, he couldn't fight back, the only thing he could do was just survive a little while longer._

 _"I m-miss you D-dad…" he whispered. He cried silently to himself, feeling his hope fading._

* * *

 _He was yanked out of his cell, just like usual. He didn't even bother to get up since he knew it would just hurt. Crowley walked over to him after a few minutes, and asked, "What's wrong Chipmunk?"_

 _"Screw you," Alec breathed. He'd been trying to hang on, and not get tortured too much, so he would still be alive when his Dad got there, but he wasn't so sure Dad was coming anymore. Besides, not fighting back had gotten him nowhere, so he might as well do whatever he could._

 _"What?" Crowley snapped._

 _"Screw you!" Alec yelled. He was still on the floor and he couldn't move, but he could still yell even if his voice sounded horrible. "I hate you! I hope you die, and I hope my Dad's the one who gets to kill you!"_

 _"You are making a huge mistake," Crowley warned._

 _"I don't care! Just kill me!" Alec yelled. "You-"_

 _He choked when the chain was suddenly yanked hard. Crowley walked closer, and then kicked him. He tried to curl up to try to protect himself, but Crowley kept kicking him. He passed out once it got to be too much._

* * *

 _He woke up in his cell again, but now he had some cloth tied over his mouth. He must have really pissed Crowley off, which made him feel a little better. He hurt, but he thought that it had been worth it._

 _He went in and out of consciousness for a while, but then something happened. He wasn't in his cell anymore, he was in another room. He started to get up, but the chain was yanked, causing him to gag and fall back down to his knees. He had to fight for consciousness, but he was instantly alert when he heard his Dad's voice._

 _"Alec!" He looked up in surprise and saw his Dad across from him. He tried to get up and run to his Dad, but he was pulled back by the chain, and he whimpered in pain. "Crowley, you son of a bitch! Let him go!" Dad yelled._

 _"Give me back what belongs to me and I'll give you back your little mini-me," Crowley said._

 _"How did you even get him?" His eyes widened in shock when he saw Uncle Sam was there. Uncle Sam was alive?! How was he alive?! "I didn't think you even knew about him," Uncle Sam said._

 _"I didn't," Crowley replied. "Not until one of my scouts found Dean playing house. Thought he could come in handy if I ever needed to bargain my way to freedom. Now, give me back my bones, and I'll give you the baby Chipmunk."_

 _Dad looked away from him to look over at Cas. Cas was here too? What was going on? He didn't really care since his Dad was here, but he was still really confused. "No," Cas said. A bag suddenly caught on fire, making Crowley yell. He quickly rolled away out of instinct, but he still didn't know what was going on._

 _But then Dad was there. His Dad held him close and carefully pulled the cloth away from his mouth and ran his hand through his hair. "Hey kiddo," Dad said, his voice thick with tears. He felt like crying too but he was so happy, he didn't think he could._

 _"Dad," he breathed, smiling up at his Dad._

 _"You're a mess, kiddo," Dad said. A tear ran down Dad's cheek, but then he held him even closer. It hurt but it was ok since his Dad was with him again. He really hoped this wasn't some kind of trick Crowley was playing on him. "I've looked everywhere for you," Dad whispered._

 _"Here I am," Alec said, snuggling against Dad's chest. "C-crowley's a dick."_

 _Dad laughed and nodded in agreement, "No argument here." His Dad shifted him slightly, making him wince, but then he started working on getting the chains off of him. "If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him," Dad said._

 _"Dad, I-I tried t-to escape," Alec whispered. "B-but I c-couldn't get away…"_

 _"It's ok, kiddo, you're free now," Dad said. "And I'm not letting you go again."_

 _He felt like he could finally breathe again when Dad got the chain off from around his neck. He just breathed for a few seconds, but then he realized that Dad looked really unhappy. "D-dad, I'm ok," Alec breathed._

 _"What else did he do to you?" Dad asked breathlessly. "Is anything broken? You're having seizures…I have pills in the car you can take…What else did Crowley do to you? Where all are you bleeding?"_

 _"R-ribs are b-broken," he admitted. He wouldn't answer the other questions though. He wasn't ever going to talk about everything that had happened. He wanted to forget, so he wouldn't talk about it. It would be easier to forget if he never said what happened._

 _"Ok, I'm gonna take care of you and get you patched up," Dad said. "We'll go to Bobby's and rest up for a while." Dad got his hands free, and then picked him up. He rested against Dad and held on like his life depended on it. "Just rest, ok? I'm gonna take care of everything." He nodded and rested against his Dad's shoulder. Everything was going to be ok. Dad found him, so everything was going to be ok._

* * *

Present

He was surprised he was still alive when he finally woke up, but his first thought was for his brother. He'd passed out before he knew what had happened to Alec, and he needed to know his brother was ok. His arms were above his head and his toes barely touched the ground since he was chained up, hanging from the ceiling. He wasn't sure where he was, but it looked old and dusty.

He breathed out in relief though when he saw Alec hanging next to him, unconscious. He could hear his labored breathing, so that wasn't a good sign, and he had a massive bruise at his left temple that covered almost half his face. Alec must have pissed off Asmodeus after he'd passed out.

"Alec," Ben whispered. "Alec, can you hear me?" Alec's eyes slowly opened, and he nodded back, too tired to do anything else. "What happened? Where are we?" Ben asked to try to get his brother to talk to him.

"Most of my…ribs are broken…" Alec breathed. "Pissed off…the new guy…"

"Shit…" Ben said, knowing that escaping was going to be nearly impossible and no one knew where they were or what they had been planning on doing. They were screwed…

"And…we're in hell," Alec forced out. "But we're not…dead…yet."

"How're we gonna get out of this one?" Ben asked.

"No…clue," Alec said.

"Ok, we'll figure something out," Ben said. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long…" Alec said. "Knocked me out…when I wouldn't…answer him."

"Beat the shit out of you too," Ben said.

"The guy's…super strong…" Alec said with a small glare. "Took you out…before me…"

"Hang in there, ok? We'll find a way out of this," Ben tried to reassure. He had to keep Alec fighting to stay alive even if it was pointless. They weren't getting out of this one, and they both knew it.

"Hang…in there? Seriously Ben…while we're hanging…from the ceiling…That was your…worst pun yet," Alec breathed.

"Wasn't trying to make a pun," Ben said, rolling his eyes.

"You never…are, which is…sad," Alec said, giving him a small smile.

"Alec, do you feel like the seizures are coming back?" Ben asked, needing to know that they had at least a little time before things got worse.

"Not yet," Alec replied honestly. "But that doesn't…mean anything…anymore."

"Ok, we'll figure this out," Ben said. "Any way you could get out of your chains?"

"Not likely…" Alec whispered. "Feel like…I'm gonna pass out…"

"I wouldn't do that Chipmunk," Crowley suddenly said from behind them. Alec face lost the tiny bit of color that he had left when he heard Crowley's voice, but if the demon was here to rescue them, then they had to agree to whatever he wanted. "That would make it very difficult to get you out of here." He tried to turn but it was impossible with the way they were chained up. Alec didn't even bother trying to turn since he was too tired, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway since they couldn't see him until he walked around them.

"What are you doing here?" Ben asked. He was surprised that Crowley was alive and that he was coming to rescue them. That didn't seem like him. But whatever he wanted had to be something bad. They already owed Crowley for telling them that Jack was a Nephilim, so they couldn't owe him even more. But he couldn't let Alec die either. Alec was already hurt, and if Asmodeus came back, he didn't think his brother could survive another round against him right now. He couldn't lose his brother.

"I'm saving you," Crowley said. "Since it appears that Moose and Squirrel aren't going to do it."

"What do you…want?" Alec snarled.

"Can't you just believe that I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart?" Crowley asked.

"You don't…have a heart," Alec breathed, losing the little burst of energy he'd been able to get. He could tell his brother was terrified with Crowley being this close to them while they were unable to protect themselves, but he couldn't help his brother if they stayed chained to the ceiling. He'd get Alec away from Crowley as soon as he could, but until then, they had to trust him.

Crowley walked over to Alec, but he quickly stopped him, "No, get me down first." He didn't want Crowley getting near his brother even though they needed help. Crowley acted like it was a big inconvenience, but he did walk away from Alec and got him down instead. He ran over to his brother once he was free and quickly got him down as carefully as he could. He held Alec up since his brother was nearly out already and asked, "How're we getting out of here?"

"We're not," Crowley said. "Just hiding until my contact arrives."

"Are you serious?" Ben hissed. "That's your plan? Who's your contact? When are they getting here? How long do we have to hide?"

"Ben…j-just go with it," Alec breathed.

He only hesitated for a second before he followed Crowley through hell.

* * *

 _2017_

 _"Alright kiddo, I'm gonna be right back," Dad said to him. "You just stay here, ok? I know this isn't very comfortable, but I have to get some things set up and get Mary handcuffed, so you sit tight and just rest."_

 _"Ok," Alec whispered._

 _Dad kissed his forehead before he forced Mary and Toni out of the backseat. He wanted to try to help but he was completely out of energy. They had driven to Jody's after they had all nearly died to find that Mary was there, and Jody had tied her up. Dad wanted to try to get Mary deprogrammed while Uncle Sam wanted to take down the British Men of Letters. He obviously couldn't help with that since he couldn't even walk by himself, so Ben had gone with Uncle Sam even though it killed both of them to be separated right now. Ben wanted to make sure he was ok, and he relied on his brother when he was hurt like this._

 _But he couldn't let Dad try to deprogram Mary by himself, with just the enemy around to help him. He knew he wasn't much backup right now, but he could still shoot a gun. And if Mary or Toni did anything to try to hurt his Dad, he wouldn't be afraid to shoot either of them. He just hoped he wouldn't pass out from the pain in his side if something did happen. He could barely breathe it hurt so bad, and the ride back and forth from Jody's house hadn't helped. Maybe once all this was over, he would be able to get some rest. He wouldn't mind sitting out for a while to rest. It would make his family feel better too._

 _"Ok kiddo," Dad said when he came back. "Let's get you inside, so you can lay down, ok?"_

 _"I'm gonna stay with you, right?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah, you're staying with me," Dad reassured. "I can't pick you up, but it's not too far to where we're goin', ok?" He nodded and moved when he was supposed to. He tried to ignore the spike of pain and quickly leaned against his Dad once he was out of the car. He actually wished Dad could carry him since he felt so bad, but he didn't want to make Dad's knee worse, so he leaned against his Dad and slowly walked with him. "You're doin' great Alec," Dad encouraged. "It's not too much further."_

 _He nearly collapsed at one point, so they had to stop so he could get some energy back. He didn't know if he could make it all the way to the sofa. He really wished Ben was here because Ben would threaten to kick his ass for trying to give up. He smiled a little and managed to keep going._

 _"What's so funny?" Dad asked._

 _"Ben," he replied._

 _"Why's Ben funny?" Dad asked, amused._

 _"I was just thinking I might not make it to the sofa, but if Ben was here, he would threaten to kick my ass for thinking like that," Alec said._

 _Dad chuckled, "Your brother is somethin' else, huh?"_

 _"Yeah…I hope he's ok," Alec said._

 _"They're gonna call as soon as they're done," Dad said. "And then they're both headed straight here, ok?"_

 _"I know…"_

 _"Look, I know you and Ben wanted to stick together this time, and I didn't want to split you up, but you couldn't go with them this time kiddo. I couldn't either and it's killing me to let Sam and Ben do this without us, but I trust Sam to do this without me and to keep Ben safe," Dad said. "And they're trusting me to keep you safe."_

 _"I'm alright," Alec whispered._

 _"This will be over soon, and then you can rest," Dad said._

 _He nodded and slowly made it to the room where the sofa was. Dad helped him lay down and propped him up with a few pillows while he tried to ignore Mary, who was handcuffed to a chair a few feet away from him. Dad left for a few seconds, but then came back with his gun and handed it to him. He quickly checked the clip to make sure it was still loaded and breathed out in relief when he saw that it was._

 _"If anything happens, shoot first, ok?" Dad said. "I'll try to do this as fast as I can, but I won't be able to protect you. I know you're a good shot, so just don't fall asleep, ok?"_

 _"I'll be ok," Alec reassured._

 _Dad ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead again before he stood up and looked at Toni. "Where's the stuff you need?"_

 _"Should be in storage, next to the dungeon," Toni said, starting to walk away. But Dad grabbed her arm and forced her to stop._

 _"Think I'm lettin' you loose in here?" Dad asked._

 _"Need I remind you that my organization left me to die?" Toni shot back. "At this point, I'm not on anyone's side but my own. I already helped save your son, I'm going to try to help save your mother, and when the dust clears…"_

 _"What? I let you go?" Dad asked._

 _"I'd like to see my son again," Toni said. "I'm not asking for a pass. I'm asking for a head start."_

 _Toni help up the handcuffs, and Dad reluctantly unlocked them. Dad looked over at him to make sure he was going to stay where he was before he left the room with Toni to get the equipment. He stayed on the sofa and watched Mary. If she even moved wrong, he was going to shoot her. He knew she was on some kind of mind control thing when she shot him, but she wasn't on mind control when she decided to leave them, and no one forced her to join the British Men of Letters. He hated it when she decided to leave only because his Dad was devastated when she left. She couldn't even stick around for her own kids, which meant he couldn't forgive her._

 _"I'm surprised you're alive," Mary said._

 _"Shut up," Alec said._

 _She smirked over at him, "It would be a lot easier on Dean if you had died. He has enough to worry about as it is without you to take care of." He looked away from her and tried to decide if he should just get up and leave the room for a while, or if he should just stay where he was and pretend he couldn't hear her. "You should have never found Dean in the first place. He didn't want kids. He didn't want to take care of you."_

 _"How would you know? You've barely spent two seconds with your own kids," Alec snapped._

 _He started to get up to leave the room, but Dad came back in and set some equipment on the table. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Dad asked, concerned. He collapsed back onto the cushions, and then Dad was next to him. "What's going on? You ok?"_

 _"I'm fine," Alec whispered._

 _"Let me check your side real quick, ok?" Dad said. He nodded and let his Dad move his t-shirt up, and then pull off the gauze. "What's goin' on?" Dad whispered, slowly checking his side._

 _"Nothing…I just want this to be done," Alec whispered._

 _"Don't worry, this will be over before you know it," Dad said with a small smile._

 _"Dad…" he stopped himself, but then decided he needed to make sure, "You don't regret me finding you…do you?"_

 _Dad frowned and looked at him with concern, "Alec you know you and Ben are the best things to ever happen to me. The only thing I regret is not knowing I had kids before you found me. I wish I could've had you from the start." He nodded but quickly looked away from his Dad, but Dad wasn't letting him get away that easily. Dad pulled him into a hug, and he rested against him, trying to forget what Mary had said. "You're my little boy, and you're always going to be my little boy," Dean whispered. He felt Dad's hand against his neck, and then he said, "Your fever is up again…You wanna go to your room? I can take care of this and you can rest."_

 _"No…I wanna stay," he said._

 _"Ok, but try to relax, ok? I nearly lost you, kiddo, and I can't do that again," Dad said. He nodded, so Dad kissed the side of his head and made sure he was comfortable again before he got up and walked back over to Toni and Mary. His Dad sat down in a chair and let Toni put electrodes on his head, and then she started putting some on Mary too._

 _"These electrodes sync your Delta waves with Mary's forming a psychic link," Toni said. "But to enter her psyche will take a certain measure of concentration and skill." Toni messed with some kind of machine, but he had no idea what it did. "And as there's no time to teach you how to reach the necessary therapeutic dream state, I'm banking on this." Toni held up a large syringe and injected something into Mary's neck. He looked at his Dad in panic since he didn't want that stuff near his Dad, but he shook his head no and motioned for him to relax. "Hypnotic agents laced with a potent sedative," Toni said as Mary passed out. "It's enough to knock an elephant on its trunk."_

 _"Dad…"_

 _"It's ok, kiddo," Dad reassured. "Just stay there, I'll be alright."_

 _Toni injected his Dad, who quickly passed out. He didn't like this one bit. He couldn't help Dad if he was unconscious. He thought they were just going to do some kind of hypnotism or something, not completely knock him unconscious. He wished again that Ben was with him. He couldn't do much because of his side, so if something happened, he wouldn't be able to help._

 _"Your father will be ok," Toni said. "This will not damage him in the least."_

 _"He's not gonna let you go just because you made up some story about having a kid," Alec muttered. "You can't manipulate him just because he has kids of his own."_

 _"I'm not lying about having a son," Toni said._

 _"You still turned Mary against him," Alec said. "He's not gonna forget that."_

 _"But I also helped save you. He's not going to forget that either," Toni said. "You shouldn't listen to what Mary said about him being better off without you. It's not true."_

 _"Can we just sit in silence," Alec grumbled._

 _Toni was quiet for a few minutes, but then she said, "Dean had to be pulled away from you when you were dying. And, I knew if you died, then I wouldn't be far behind."_

 _He looked away and refused to look back. He knew Toni was telling the truth, but it was easier to believe Mary since she was supposed to be family. He knew Dad would do anything for him and he knew he loved him, he just hoped he didn't mess up Dad's life by showing up in his motel room all those years ago. He'd never stopped to think about what Dean's life was like before he decided to find him, and then when he'd decided Dean was Dad, he just assumed he was ok with it. He'd never told him not to call him Dad…But he'd never told him that he could either._

 _He looked up when he heard something in the other room. It sounded like someone was in the bunker, but Uncle Sam and Ben would have called them to tell them that they were ok before they drove back. He slowly moved to sit up, but he wished he could stand up. He felt vulnerable sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room. He was already hurt, and if he stayed here, then he was an easy target. But he also needed to stay and protect his Dad._

 _He pushed himself up, but immediately had to sit down again. He was dizzy and his side hurt again, and he wanted his brother. Ben could reassure him that he didn't completely ruin Dad's life by showing up in the motel room, and his brother could help him protect Dad._

 _He managed to get up, but he had to close his eyes as the room decided to spin out of control. He took a few deep breaths, and then managed to get his eyes open again. He looked over at Toni, but her back was to him now._

 _"Toni?" He asked, slowly walking closer. She didn't turn around, or even acknowledge that he'd said anything, which was weird. He knew she thought they were just dumb American hunters, but she still acknowledged them when they spoke, especially now that her life was on the line. "Toni?" He said again, taking another step closer._

 _"Not another step," a man said. His voice was coming from where Toni was standing, but he couldn't see him. He was using her as a human shield, and he thought it sounded like Ketch. "Drop the gun Alec," Ketch said._

 _"Show yourself," Alec said. "We'll see who's faster."_

 _"It'll be me," Ketch said. "Just drop the gun and I won't shoot you."_

 _"I like my chances better with the gun," Alec said._

 _"Drop it, or else I'll shoot Dean instead," Ketch said. He hesitated since he knew Ketch would do it. "Just put the gun on the table and slide it over." He slowly put his gun on the table and slid it closer to his Dad. His Dad was out of it, but if he woke up, then he could still use it. "Clever boy," Ketch said. He stood up, releasing Toni, who collapsed to the ground. His eyes widened when he saw that her throat was slit. "Sliding your gun over to your Dad. Very clever," Ketch said. He picked up his gun and put it over on a bookshelf instead. "But your Dad is unconscious at the moment. No one will be coming to help you," Ketch said._

 _"You don't know anything about me," Alec snarled, trying to act like he was doing a lot better than he really was._

 _"I know you were shot," Ketch said. "As much as you and Ben liked to use the fact that you're identical to try to trick us, I do know the difference."_

 _"You didn't for a while," Alec said with a smirk._

 _"But I do now," Ketch said. "And I know you were shot, and you nearly died, so I know you're not up for a fight, especially a fight against me. You be a good boy and run along to your room, so you don't get hurt."_

 _"Screw you," Alec snapped._

 _"I'm actually a little surprised that you are still alive," Ketch said conversationally. He walked around the table to get closer to him, and he refused to take a step back even though he wanted to. "The way you were looking, I didn't think you would last another hour. But I guess Lady Bevell helped get the poison out of your system, probably to try to get Dean to spare her life, and it looks like it worked."_

 _"And I'm a transgenic, so I heal super-fast," Alec said._

 _"You care to test that theory?" Ketch asked. "Because we kept diligent records on you and your brother to determine if we should put you down or not. You're not as invincible as you say you are. Or…should I bring up your time with Crowley."_

 _"How-"_

 _"We've been watching you and your family for years," Ketch said. "So, as much as you want to believe that you're an asset to your family, I know you're more of a burden. And deep down, I think you know it too." Ketch took another step closer to him, close enough to attack him if he decided to. "You know that over the years you've become less useful but have caused more problems. Your mouth gets you in trouble but so does your lack of respect for the rules. You've almost gotten your brother killed on numerous occasions, not to mention the fact that Dean tried to replace you with-"_

 _He punched Ketch hard to get him to stop talking. He hated him and he hated that everything he said had gone through his own head before now. His punch caused Ketch to stagger back, but he knew he couldn't win this fight. But if he didn't distract Ketch, then he knew his Dad was toast._

 _But Ketch followed up with a punch, and then easily shoved him against the closest bookshelf. His breath left him, but he managed to duck when Ketch tried to punch him again. But Ketch kneed his side, making him cry out in pain. He was shoved to the ground before Ketch slammed his head against the floor. The fight completely left him as he put everything he had into just staying conscious. He was pretty sure Ketch was about to kill him, but it was ok. He'd tried, and he'd failed, so he might as well be put out of his misery._

 _Ketch walked away from him though, and instead walked over to Dad. Ketch pulled off the electrodes, which actually made his Dad wake up. Dad looked around in confusion, frowned when he saw Toni dead on the ground, and Mary still unconscious, but his eyes widened with panic when he saw Ketch._

 _"No," Dad breathed._

 _"Oh, yes," Ketch said. Dad lunged towards Ketch, and he couldn't really see what was happening, but then Ketch got the upper hand and threw Dad against one of the bookcases across from him. Dad struggled to get up as Ketch walked closer. "Oh, what? Thought you'd get your Mum back?" Ketch asked sarcastically. "Sorry, Dean. Not how this ends." Dad managed to get up, but he got distracted because his eyes landed on him. Ketch kicked him in the back of the knee, his hurt knee, forcing him to the ground again. "This ends with me ending you," Ketch said._

 _Dad got up again, "I'm gonna kill you."_

 _"You won't but I'd very much enjoy it if you tried," Ketch said. Dad punched Ketch hard, which started the fight again. He struggled to get up while Ketch was distracted. If he could get to his gun, then he could help Dad and actually be useful. But he couldn't move except to watch what was going on with the fight. If his Dad died, it was going to be his fault. Dad was thrown to the ground again, and Ketch slowly walked over to him. "You want to know what your mother said about you, Dean?" Ketch asked. "All those long days and even longer nights out on the road, hunting? Hmm?" Ketch grabbed Dad's shirt collar and punched him in the face. "Absolutely nothing," Ketch said. He punched Dad again, and then said, "Ah. This is fun. Alec wasn't much of a fight…"_

 _Dad growled and threw Ketch across the room. Ketch landed on one of the tables, causing it to break. Unfortunately, Ketch grabbed one of the table legs that had broken off and went after Dad again. He hit Dad a few times before he managed to shove Dad up against the wall, pushing the table leg against his chest and neck. Dad struggled, but then managed to lunge forward and get the table leg from Ketch. He hit him hard, forcing him away from him and causing him to stay turned away from him. Dad was holding onto a chair and breathing heavily, but he was still standing, so that was good._

 _"When you left us alone in the bunker, man, I knew you were psycho, but I didn't think you were stupid," Dad said._

 _"I may be many things…" Ketch said, slowly turning around to face Dad again. But he was holding a gun now and was pointing it right at Dad. "…But I'm not stupid."_

 _"Dad!" he yelled when there was a gunshot. He managed to get up a little, but then collapsed against the bookcase again. Ketch cried out, dropped the gun, and held his shoulder. Dad was looking away from Ketch, and he followed his gaze to see Mary holding his gun, still aiming at Ketch._

 _"Mom?" Dad asked, surprised._

 _"Mary," Ketch said. Ketch dropped down to his knees, and Dad limped away from him to come over to him._

 _"Dad…"_

 _"Alec I'm so sorry," Dad whispered. He quickly blinked away tears as Dad dropped down next to him and held him close. Even if he screwed up Dad's life, he still couldn't leave. He needed his Dad._

 _"I knew you were a killer," Ketch said. "You both are. And Alec's a screwup. A lab defect-" Mary fired the gun again, shooting Ketch in the head, making him fall over._

 _"Alec, look at me kiddo," Dad said. He slowly looked over at his Dad, a little fuzzy now that the fight was over. "I'm sorry Alec, I shouldn't have left you by yourself…"_

 _"I'm bleeding again," Alec whispered, looking away._

 _"Ok, let's get you laying down and I'll get you fixed up," Dad said._

 _"I can do it," Alec said. He blinked away tears, but one ran down his cheek anyway. Dad gently brushed it away and ran his hand through his hair._

 _"C'mon Alec, you gotta let me help," Dad said. He swallowed hard but nodded. There would be more questions if he kept being stubborn, so he needed to just let his Dad help him. "Ok, let's get your shirt off. Mom…can you get the first aid kit from the bathroom?"_

 _"Toni's dead…" Alec whispered._

 _"I know," Dad said._

 _"She just wanted to see her son again…"_

 _"Alec, she probably doesn't even have a son," Dad said, carefully getting his t-shirt off. Dad pulled the gauze off, and gently got him laying down. "I'll get you back on the sofa once I get you patched up, ok?"_

 _"Dad…"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"She had a son," Alec whispered. Tears leaked out of his eyes, so he quickly looked away from his Dad again._

 _"It's over Alec," Dad soothed. "Just try to relax."_

 _"I…I could've shot him," Alec said. "I could've shot her and hit him…She was already dead."_

 _"Hey, hey, look at me," Dad said. He reluctantly looked at his Dad, failing to hold back the tears anymore. "Everything's ok. This isn't your fault, none of this is your fault. This is Ketch's fault, and now Ketch is dead. Just relax a little, ok?" He nodded, and then Dad slowly laid down next to him and held him close. He hid his face against Dad's chest and just tried to forget everything Ketch had said. "You're ok Alec. We're both ok. And Sam and Ben will call any minute now, I know it. You just rest, ok? I'll patch you up, and then we'll take a nap on the sofa. How does that sound?"_

 _He nodded and just tried to pretend that nothing was wrong. He started to doze off since Dad was holding him and everything hurt, but then Mary came back with the first aid kid, and Dad had to clean up his wound again and stitch him up. Dad got up once he was done and helped him up. He knew Dad wanted to just carry him the few feet to the sofa, but Dad looked even more beat up now than he did before._

 _"There, that's not so bad, right?" Dad asked, pulling a blanket up to his chest. "I'll get you some painkillers, and then you can take a nap. I'll wake you up when your brother gets here."_

 _He nodded, but he didn't sleep. He pretended to sleep, but he didn't really want to sleep until Ben got back. He didn't know if his brother was safe or not, so he needed to stay awake to make sure._

 _"Mom, you don't have to do that. It's not your job," Dad said, walking past him. He couldn't see Mary, but it sounded like she was cleaning up._

 _"This…all of this is because of me," Mary said._

 _"It's gonna be ok," Dad reassured._

 _"It's not ok…" Mary said with a sigh. "Since I've been back, I know…I've been distant. Cold, even. Leaving you, working with them…I was trying to make things right. Just from a distance, because…being here with you was too hard. Seeing what I'd done to you and to Sam, I…"_

 _"Mom, what you did, the deal…everything that's happened since has made us who we are," Dad said. "And who we are? We kick ass. We save the world. I have the two greatest boys in the whole world because of who we are."_

 _"I'm scared. What…What if he can't forgive me?" Mary asked._

 _"Mom. You don't have to be scared of me," Uncle Sam suddenly said._

 _He struggled to get up, but he could hear Ben running down the stairs to get to him. "Alec?" Ben asked when he didn't see him._

 _"I'm over here," Alec called out weakly._

 _He heard Dad chuckle, and then Ben was there. "What did you do?" Ben asked, a small smile tugging at his lips. He swallowed hard, which made Ben nod in understanding. His brother dropped down next to him and grabbed his hand. "What did he do to you? You ok?" He must have seen Ketch's dead body on his way over to him to know who was responsible for his newest injuries._

 _"Tore my stitches," Alec said._

 _"He did something else…" Ben said knowingly. Ben's eyes narrowed as he searched his face, and then he sighed. "Whatever he said, it's not true. You're not a screwup, ok? I don't care what he said because he's a liar." Ben knew him too well, which was why he'd wanted his brother earlier. Ben knew when he was feeling like a complete screwup, and he knew what to say to make him feel better._

 _"He said a lot of things," Alec whispered._

 _"You want me to shoot him a few more times?" Ben asked. "Because I will. I'll gladly put a few more bullets into him. He hurt my brother and my Dad."_

 _"Don't go anywhere, ok?" Alec said. He didn't want to talk about this, but his brother just being with him was helping him. He knew Ben wasn't going anywhere, but he still needed to hear his brother say it._

 _"I won't go anywhere," Ben reassured. "Let me check your stitches."_

 _"Dude, Dad put my stitches in. Leave me alone," Alec said. He managed to hide his smile at his brother changing the subject for him. Ben knew he didn't want to talk about what had happened, so he brought up something he knew would take his mind off of things. And what better to take his mind off of what Ketch had said than arguing with his brother._

 _"Let me look," Ben said._

 _"No. I need to sleep," Alec said. "It's time for some resting."_

 _"When have you ever wanted to rest?" Ben teased._

 _"Now," Alec said._

 _"That's convenient," Ben said._

 _"You're so annoying," Alec grumbled._

 _"Move over," Ben said. He glared at his brother, so he rolled his eyes and said, "If you're gonna rest, then so am I. I've earned it after the day I've had."_

 _"What happened?" Alec asked, slowly scooting over. Ben got on the other end of the sofa and snuggled down. "You're ok, right?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm good," Ben said. "We took down the Brits. Uncle Sam was awesome."_

 _"Dad took on Ketch even with his busted knee," Alec said._

 _"Looks like you took on Ketch too," Ben said, concerned again. He knew Ben was just teasing him to try to make him feel better. His brother wasn't going to stop being concerned for a long time. "You sure that's your only injury?" Ben asked. "I still wanna check your stitches…"_

 _"My head hurts too, but I'm ok," Alec said._

 _"Whatever he said, he's wrong, you know that right?" Ben asked. He didn't say anything, so Ben said, "Alec you're my little brother, I know you better than anyone else. You better tell me what he said at some point, that way I can prove you wrong."_

 _"At some point?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah, at some point," Ben said. "Because you looked wiped out. You need to rest."_

 _"Now you think resting is a good idea," Alec grumbled._

 _"That's because it is," Ben said. "Go to sleep, I've got your back."_

 _"Thanks Ben," Alec whispered, snuggling down, so he could fall asleep._

* * *

Present

"You ok?" Ben whispered.

"No," Alec grumbled. Every breath felt like he was going to rip his lung, and then he really would have a problem. He wasn't going anywhere fast but as least they weren't hanging from the ceiling anymore. That had made it almost impossible to breathe but they had to rely on Crowley to help them, which was definitely not something he wanted to do. Ever.

"We shouldn't trust Crowley," Ben whispered. They were hiding in some kind of closet, but Crowley kept moving them. He said it wasn't safe to stay in the same spot for too long, and even though he didn't trust Crowley, and never would, he still knew that moving every so often was a good plan.

"We don't have a lot of options…" Alec said. He winced as he tried to move, which made Ben reach for him. "I'm alright," he reassured, even though he wasn't alright. He needed some ice and he needed to lay down and rest. He couldn't keep moving since he was pretty sure he was going to puncture his lung. He was already having trouble breathing but there wasn't a lot they could do right now.

"I guess we messed up," Ben said, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "If we had just stayed in the bunker, we wouldn't be in this mess right now…"

"We wouldn't find Dad and Uncle Sam if we were at the bunker," Alec whispered.

"We're not really finding them now either," Ben said. "We're trapped in hell, you're hurt, we're trusting Crowley…If we had stayed home, then you'd still be resting, and we could find a different way."

"It's just broken ribs…it's not that bad," Alec breathed, running out of energy again.

"Alec I can hear your breathing," Ben said. "You sound horrible…"

"We just gotta get out of hell," Alec said.

"With you barely breathing…this is gonna be impossible," Ben muttered.

"You should try to be a little more optimistic," Alec said with a small smile.

Ben chuckled, "You're the optimistic one, not me." He rested against his brother and tried to fall asleep, but it hurt too much to breathe, so he couldn't really fall asleep. "Hey, if you can lean back a little more, maybe it'll be a little more comfortable," Ben said.

"I don't think comfortable is in the cards for me," Alec mumbled.

"Maybe we should just try to sneak out without Crowley," Ben suggested. "We're pretty sneaky and we're good at escapes."

"We don't know the layout of hell and this place is crawling with demons," Alec said. "You've got no backup, but you do have a hurt brother, so us escaping by ourselves is a bad idea."

"Us trusting Crowley is a bad idea," Ben said. "I should have never suggested that we call him…"

He sighed, "Are you gonna do this the whole time?"

"Do what?"

"Second guess everything," Alec said.

"I just shouldn't have suggested it…that's all," Ben muttered.

"We'll get out of this," Alec whispered. He closed his eyes, telling Ben he didn't want to talk anymore. Thankfully, his brother got the message and didn't talk anymore. He was too tired to talk, and he needed to save his energy for when they were going to move again.

"Alec, someone's coming," Ben said after a while, gently shaking his shoulder. He forced himself to wake up and clenched his jaw against the pain radiating from his side. "Alec…"

"I-I'm awake…" Alec breathed.

"Hello boys," Crowley said, opening the closet door. His eyes widened in shock, and his brother grabbed his arm when Arthur Ketch walked up behind Crowley. "I'm told you know each other," Crowley said.

"How-"

"Am I alive?" Ketch asked. "Very good question. We don't have time for that now though. That is, unless you would like to stay in hell for a little while longer." He felt sick seeing Ketch alive again. Not only were they trusting Crowley, but now they had to trust Ketch too. He didn't think he could handle any more surprises…

"This is your contact?" Ben asked. He could tell his brother was about to get up and punch Ketch until the man could no longer move, but his brother couldn't get up since he was laying partially on top of him. Ben knew he would hurt him if he moved now.

"Yes," Crowley said. "Do you want out of hell or not?"

"First, we need to make a stop and pick up an asset," Ketch said.

"Who?" He and Ben asked at the same time.

"I'm told he's an old friend of yours," Ketch said to him. He rolled his eyes when Ketch waited a dramatically long time before he said, "Gabriel."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	21. Chapter 21

_Sorry for the long wait, but this is a fairly long chapter, so hopefully that makes up for it! There is a flashback from season 5 and in between season 9 and 10. Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 21

Present

"I swear, as soon as we get out of here, Ketch is dead," Ben whispered once they were moved to another hiding spot. He'd thought they were going to go right to breaking Gabriel out, but he was wrong. They were stuck hiding, and they didn't have much of a choice to do anything else. He was out of commission right now, so escaping on their own wasn't an option.

"You mean dead again?" Alec tried to tease. Ben gave him a bitch face identical to Uncle Sam's, which made him roll his eyes. "It's not like I'm happy to see the guy, but our only option is for you to leave here without me."

He shook his head when Ben instantly argued, "There's no way I'm leaving you here."

"No kidding," Alec said.

"Don't do that," Ben snapped. "We're in this together, no matter what."

"Untwist your panties Ben. I'm not letting you leave me behind," Alec said. "I'm just trying to make you think of something other than killing Ketch the next time we see him."

Ben was quiet for a few seconds, but then muttered, "Dad is gonna be so pissed when we find him…"

"Yeah…he is," Alec agreed.

"Alec…what did Ketch say to you in the bunker?" Ben asked softly.

"I can't tell you right now," Alec whispered.

"Why not?!" Ben asked, moving to get up. But he instantly stopped when his movement made him hiss in pain. "Sorry, sorry Alec. I forgot you're hurt. I won't move again."

"It's ok," Alec breathed, struggling to get his pain back under control.

"Why can't you tell me what he said?" Ben asked, calmer this time.

"Because then you'd really try to kill him when he came back," Alec said.

"Alright," Ben said. He knew that wouldn't be the end of it, but his brother gave him a break for now. Instead, he asked, "How do you know Gabriel? Who is he?"

"Archangel," Alec muttered. "Dad and Uncle Sam tried to get him to help against Lucifer, but he just wanted Dad and Uncle Sam to 'play their roles'. He was dead set on staying out of it, but something changed his mind because he tried to take on Lucifer to save us and Gabriel died doing it. Well, I guess maybe he didn't die after all." He'd been sad when Gabriel died even though he had trapped them in TV land. He was funny for an angel and he did save them from Lucifer, so he had to give him credit, but Dad had told him that he died.

"'Play their roles'? What does that mean?" Ben asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Ben…this is a lot," Alec breathed, feeling exhaustion crash into him.

"I know it's a lot, but you gotta stay awake and I need to know what's going on," Ben said. "C'mon, what does that mean?"

"Dad was supposed to be Michael's vessel…" Alec said. "And Sam was Lucifer's. Gabriel…he didn't want to be part of it, so he was trying to get them to agree to do what was planned for them. I know Dad was seriously thinking about it at one point, but he said he couldn't go through with it because he had me to think about. But Uncle Sam…" he took a deep breath and sighed before he asked, "Didn't Dad tell you all this when he found you?"

"Dad said Uncle Sam had been in hell and something was wrong with him. He told me I needed to stay away from him until he fixed Uncle Sam…I didn't know Uncle Sam was nice until after Dad found a way to get his soul back," Ben said. "I didn't ask about it because Dad didn't want to talk about it. And I couldn't bring you up and I couldn't talk about Sam or talk to Sam, so I just decided to drop it. I knew Uncle Sam went kinda crazy for a while after that, and Dad said it was about hell, but we had a lot going on then. I didn't ask…Anything when you were missing and before that was off limits to talk about. You know that I hardly know anything about how you found Dad and Uncle Sam, right?"

"I didn't know that," Alec whispered. "I thought Dad filled you in on everything when he found you."

"He wouldn't talk about you," Ben stated. "He was stressed all the time when he found me. I knew he was good, and I wanted to stick with him, but he barely slept, and he was sad…He would look at me and I knew he was actually seeing you. He felt like it was his fault that you were missing." He swallowed hard and tried not to think about being tortured, and instead tried to think about what his brother had gone through. He'd thought that Dad had tried to replace him when he'd first met Ben, but he knew that was wrong. But he hadn't thought about Ben being stuck with Uncle Sam without a soul or Dad being stressed and sad all the time. Ben hadn't known them when they were good and happy, but he'd stuck around anyway, waiting to see if it would get better. "Everything changed when Dad found you. I never got the story of how he did it, but you were suddenly at Bobby's and Dad was like a different person. And then Dad got Uncle Sam's soul back, and even though you didn't like me yet, it still felt like we were finally a family."

Ben was quiet for a long time, thinking about the past, so he said, "I walked…I broke out of Manticore and walked across the country."

"What?" Ben asked, concerned, slowly moving so he could face him a little more.

"I found a file at Manticore that said Dad was my DNA donor," Alec said. "I escaped and found out as much as I could about Dad, and then just kept walking and researching until I found him. I broke into their motel room and waited for Dad to get there. I…I never thought about his life before I showed up." He looked away from Ben, but then said, "He says we're the best thing to ever happen to him, but I didn't really give him a choice when I showed up…"

"Alec, Dad's not kidding when he says that," Ben soothed.

"I know he's not sorry to have us, but…I've made his life pretty difficult. If I hadn't shown up and forced him to adopt me…maybe things would be different for him," Alec said.

"Different how?" Ben asked, his voice gentle.

"Lisa," Alec whispered.

"Who?" Ben asked.

"Fake Ben's Mom," Alec admitted. He'd told Ben about Fake Ben, but he'd never gone into detail about living a normal life with Dad and Lisa. "Dad and Lisa were in a relationship…Dad only left her to look for me. If I hadn't found Dad, maybe he'd still be with Lisa…"

"Alec…he found you again and he didn't go back to her," Ben said. "Dad can do what he wants…he wants us with him."

"Ben…"

"What else did that asshole say?" Ben asked. "This is because of him, isn't it?" He shrugged since he didn't want to admit that Mary had said it too. Mary had been brainwashed at the time, but even with brainwashing, the idea had to come from somewhere. But they had a very shaky relationship with Mary, and he didn't want to mess up his brother's view of her. "Alec…what else is going on?" Ben asked, his voice soft and soothing again.

"Nothing…" Alec whispered. "What else do you wanna know about with Gabriel or with the time before Dad found you?"

"Alec," Ben sighed.

"What else? This is probably the only time you'll get to ask me whatever you want," Alec said. Ben didn't ask him anything though. He just stayed quiet like he was thinking about what he should ask. He thought he told his brother everything except for when Crowley had kidnapped him, but there was a lot that Ben didn't know. "I was shot," he whispered. Ben's head shot up in surprise, but he just waited for him to keep going. "When I was escaping Manticore, I got shot. I managed to walk all the way from Manticore to Dad with a bullet still in my side and that was when I was nine. Now it's like I get a hangnail and I'm stuck to a bed for a month."

"You and I both know that's not true," Ben said. "You were poisoned, and I thought for sure that you were going to die, but you managed to hang on until Dad got the bunker off of lockdown. But then you had seizures, and I swear Alec, every time I see you have a seizure, I feel like I should've done something to help you. I know it's because of Crowley that you get them so bad…and…I should've just hauled your ass to Seattle after Dad disappeared."

"I wouldn't have gone," Alec muttered.

"After we find Dad, that's where we're going next," Ben said.

" _If_ we find Dad," Alec said.

Ben nudged his shoulder and gently teased, "I thought I was supposed to be the pessimistic one."

He cracked a smile and nodded in agreement before he decided to change the subject, "Do you wanna hear about the first time I met Gabriel?"

"Sure," Ben said.

"He trapped me, Dad, and Uncle Sam in a TV world," Alec said. "He was trying to teach them that they needed to play their roles. Uncle Sam had to do surgery on Dad…We were in this game show thing…Some kind of family sitcom…and a cop show, which was probably my favorite. It was funny even though Dad and Uncle Sam didn't think so. I didn't get a lot of it since I hadn't seen a lot of TV yet, but Dad kept trying to make me laugh to try to make sure I wasn't scared. But I knew it was ok. Dad and Uncle Sam figured it out and I liked Gabriel even though he trapped us there. He was way better than Zachariah."

"Who's Zachariah?" Ben asked, moving again, so they were shoulder to shoulder. He leaned against his brother since his side was hurting again.

"He was a dick," Alec said. "He sent me and Dad to the future, which sucked, and he was the biggest advocate for Dad saying yes to Michael."

"You got to go to the future?" Ben asked, surprised.

"It wasn't what really happened, it was just Zachariah's version of the future," Alec said.

"So…it sucked?" Ben guessed with a smile.

He chuckled, "That's an understatement. Dad was seriously freaked out, especially when we met Dad 2.0."

"What?" Ben asked. "What do you mean Dad 2.0?"

"Future Dad," Alec said. "There was real Dad and future Dad. But both of them were freaked out."

"How come?" Ben asked.

"Future Uncle Sam said yes to Lucifer, which ended the world, and future me was dead," Alec said. "All very weird. I actually don't remember a whole lot because I'd had my first seizure before we were sent there."

"That would definitely freak Dad out," Ben said.

"That was before I was calling him Dad," Alec said. He was quiet for a few minutes, but then he whispered, "Dad and Uncle Sam died in front of me…" He felt Ben tense, but his brother didn't push for answers, even though he knew he was dying to know what had happened. "I woke up and had to go to the bathroom, and then I saw these two guys in the room. They shot Uncle Sam first, and then they shot Dad. I think I made a sound…I don't really remember, but then they came into the bathroom and they were freaking out because they didn't know that Dad had a kid. They started arguing because they didn't want to shoot a kid, but they couldn't just leave me there. They didn't know if I'd heard Dad call them by name or not…and I did hear him, but I…I have no idea what their names were. I just snapped. I broke the first guy's neck and took his shotgun to shoot the other one. I didn't know what to do, so I just got into the tub and cried. Dad found me when he was brought back to life…and I just let it slip."

"You've seen Dad die twice…" Ben whispered. "Is that why you just kinda shut down when…when Metatron killed Dad?"

"I don't know…I'm just tired," Alec breathed. "Maybe…maybe after we find everyone and get them back here…maybe we should take a break."

"A break from hunting?" Ben asked.

"A break from everything," Alec said. "I just want everything to stop…"

"I'm sure Dad would be ok with a break," Ben said.

"Anything else you wanna know?" Alec asked, his voice tired.

"I wanna know a lot of things but you sound exhausted," Ben said.

"Gotta stay awake though…" Alec mumbled. "I hated you at first…"

"Dude, I know," Ben said with a laugh.

"I was jealous," Alec admitted. "It felt like Dad replaced me, and then he liked you better because you followed the rules. The perfect little nuisance…"

"I was jealous of you too," Ben teased. "Dad already knew you and loved you. He spent most of his time looking for you. Plus, he thought you were hilarious."

"I'm glad he found you," Alec whispered.

Ben gave him a gentle squeeze, but then warned, "This better not be some kind of goodbye speech."

"It's not," Alec reassured.

"How're you feeling?" Ben asked softly.

"Tired," Alec replied honestly. "And I wanna go home and I want Dad and Uncle Sammy to be there too."

"We'll get them back," Ben said, holding him closer. "Just stay with me, ok?"

"Ok," he breathed.

* * *

 _2014_

 _He looked over at his brother when he heard him whimper in his sleep. He was surprised Alec was asleep at all since he hadn't really tried since Dad had died. His twin had to sleep sometime though, otherwise he'd start having seizures again. He and Alec argued about it all the time since he told his brother he was going to take him back to Uncle Sam if he started having seizures._

 _"Hey," Ben said, hitting Alec's shoulder to try to wake him up. Alec startled awake and looked around with panic. He relaxed slightly when he saw that they were still in the abandoned shack and it was still dark out. Alec didn't say anything to him, he just dropped his head in his hands and sat in silence, probably trying to figure out what was real again. "You wanna try to sleep some more, or should we work on the hunt some more?"_

 _"We got any food left?" Alec asked, his voice barely above a whisper._

 _"Only a couple cans of beans…your favorite," Ben muttered, handing his brother what was left of their stockpile. He wanted to go back to the bunker, where they had a home and Uncle Sam, who was still alive and would look out for them again, but Alec didn't want to go, and he wasn't going to leave his brother._

 _"We're gonna need more food," Alec said. His brother slowly stood up and stretched, working out the kinks that came from sleeping on the floor._

 _"Alec…maybe we should go back," Ben suggested. Alec turned around and glared at him, but he quickly continued, "We can still avoid Uncle Sam, but there's food in the bunker, and clothes, and actual beds. Aren't you tired of sleeping on the ground yet?"_

 _"I'm not goin' back there," Alec stated. "You can go, but I'm not going back."_

 _"Ever?" Ben asked, surprised. He had been under the impression that this was just going to be temporary. Alec needed time away from everything that reminded him of Dad and of home, but he didn't think his brother would want to stay away forever. He wanted to go home eventually. But Alec had always thought of the Impala as home since he'd lived in the Impala longer than he had. He thought of the bunker as home since that's where their beds were and all of their things, and Dad said it was their home, and he had wanted a real, permanent home._

 _"I don't know," Alec said, turning away from him again._

 _"Alec, we can't keep this up forever," Ben said. "We need food, you need your pills, we look like filthy, homeless teenagers because we are filthy, homeless teenagers. When we walk into a town, one good Samaritan gets a look at us, and social services is taking us in. And we can't run forever. At some point we're gonna have to face the fact that Dad is gone."_

 _He expected Alec to storm off, yell at him, hit him, something, but he didn't expected Alec to practically collapse, holding his head in desperation. He quickly moved so he was right in front of Alec, and then he forced his brother to look at him. He hated seeing the lost, broken look in his brother's eyes, and he hated even more that he didn't know how to fix this. "I-I can't…" Alec breathed._

 _"Hey, don't you dare check out on me again, ok? I know this is the worst death we've ever had to go through, but you can't check out like you did when Bobby died," Ben said. "I need you with me. We don't have to go back, but you have to…I don't know, just keep fighting with me, ok?" Alec took in a shaky breath but nodded after a few seconds. "Now, c'mon, I know you hate beans, but you gotta eat."_

 _"You need to eat too," Alec mumbled._

 _He rolled his eyes but grabbed the two cans before he got out his knife and broke them open. He passed one of the cans over to his brother, but warned, "Careful, the edges are sharp."_

 _"Yeah, yeah," Alec grumbled as he slowly ate._

 _He dug into his own can, wishing again the they at least had forks or spoons. Alec didn't mind eating with his hands since he would just wash them off in whatever puddle he could find, but he hated eating like this. But Alec was more important than using utensils. "We'll have to go to town tomorrow," Ben said to break the silence. "Obviously we need more food. Maybe we could steal another car and hit the road again."_

 _"Isn't there a hunt here?" Alec asked around a mouthful of beans._

 _"Salt and burn, not your favorite," Ben said. "Plus, it hasn't been killing people…it's really just a local legend."_

 _"How come Uncle Sam was always able to find real cases and we just manage to find duds all the time?" Alec grumbled._

 _"No clue," Ben said, even though he was the reason they kept finding dud cases. Alec hated researching, so if he said there was a ghost 2,000 miles away from wherever they were, he wouldn't question him. He would complain once they got there and found out it was nothing, but he would still let him be the one who looked for cases. Usually he could get away with maybe three dud cases in a row before he had to give Alec a real case to get his emotions under control again. This was dud case number five, so he might have pushed it too far this time. But this was the best way to keep Alec safe. "But it's getting close to a full moon, we could start looking for animal attacks."_

 _"I wanna slice some heads off on the next one," Alec muttered. "Let's find some vampires. Taking out a whole nest might be fun."_

 _He sighed even though he loved hunting vampires too. But of course Alec wanted to take on a whole nest. "Alright, fine," he said, trying to make it seem like it was a big inconvenience to look for a nest of vampires. "I'll see what I can find. But only if you agree to actually steal some pills this time. You know I hate stealing, but we're down to three pills left. I'm not kidding about taking you back to the bunker if you start having seizures."_

 _"Fine," Alec said dramatically. "But I'm stealing good food this time, not this crap."_

 _"Alec-"_

 _"If you would let me hustle, then I wouldn't have to steal," Alec said, already knowing that he was going to chastise his brother for stealing in the first place._

 _"If we hustle, then you know Uncle Sam is gonna be even closer to finding us," Ben said. They had this argument all the time, and they said the same thing every time. "But if we steal food, then we probably won't be able to steal a car too…"_

 _"I'm not walking again," Alec said with a glare. "Last time we walked for six days and I still have blisters."_

 _"We need more clothes too," Ben said, ignoring his brother. "These are getting filthy. We're way more noticeable in filthy clothes."_

 _"How do you expect me to steal all this shit," Alec asked. "It'll be a miracle if I don't get caught on the first pitstop…"_

 _"I'm not stealing," Ben exclaimed, appalled._

 _"Then how am I gonna pull this off?" Alec shot back. "Food, pills, clothes…and no getaway car…This is gonna be impossible."_

 _"We could still go back home," Ben pointed out._

 _"I'll just figure it out, like usual," Alec said._

 _"Do you want me to find another hunt or not?" Ben asked._

 _"You act like I don't know how to do research," Alec grumbled. He waited for his brother to just cave in, since that's what he always did. He knew Alec liked stealing things because his brother liked the adrenaline rush. Plus, his brother was looking out for him just as much as he was looking out for Alec. He could tell Alec felt guilty that all they had left was beans. Alec had always managed to get them food, clothes, and whatever else they needed while he made sure they had somewhere to sleep, stayed ahead of Uncle Sam and the cops, and found something for Alec to kill when he really needed it. "Alright, fine, we doin' this tomorrow or what?" Alec finally agreed._

 _"Yeah, we should go tomorrow," Ben said._

 _"If I get everything, then you better find a vampire hunt," Alec said, fighting off a small smile._

 _"You got it, little brother," Ben teased._

 _Alec rolled his eyes, "You're barely older than me."_

 _"Hey, 12 seconds or 12 minutes, I'm still older than you," Ben gloated, even though they had no idea how much older he was than Alec. It didn't matter though; they were brothers and that's all they needed to know. He reached over and messed up Alec's hair, making his brother chuckle. No matter what, he wasn't going to lose his brother. At the bunker or on the run, he was going to stay with Alec._

* * *

Present

"Easy, easy," Sam soothed, helping his brother get up. Dean was still unsteady on his feet, but he wasn't on death's door anymore, which was a relief. But now Dean wanted to move, which was not happening. But they needed food, so Dean needed to be alert.

"What are we doing again?" Dean asked, shrugging off his help. He hated it when Dean refused to let him help him, but at least that meant his brother was starting to feel better.

" _We_ aren't doing anything," Sam corrected. "I'm going to go find us some food while you watch the fort."

"I'm not stayin' here while you go out to monster-ville," Dean grumbled.

"Not a lot of options here, Dean," Sam said. "This is the safest place we've found, you're barely on your feet, we're close to water, but we're out of food. What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know…not this," Dean snapped. "We need to figure out how to get out of here. We have to get back to the boys."

"And how are we supposed to do that, Dean," Sam challenged. "We don't even know how we got here, so how the hell are we supposed to get back?"

"Beats me," Dean said with a shrug. "But we're gonna find a way."

"Fine. You stay here and think about it, while I find some food," Sam said.

"Sam," Dean growled.

"Dean," he said right back. They needed food, Dean still needed to rest, and they had no clue how to get out of here, so they just had to survive until they figured it out. "I'll be right back, just stay here."

Dean grumbled a little more, but he did let him go, so that was good. He slowly walked out of their little home and took off through the dense forest. He didn't want to venture too far from his brother, but they were fresh out of lizard. Dean needed more food to start to get stronger, and he was going to force his brother to get better whether he liked it or not. He couldn't do this without his brother. It was hard enough to be away from the boys, he couldn't lose his brother too.

He wished they could just find a way back to the twins, but he knew it wasn't going to be that easy. They didn't even know where they were, let alone where the boys were. He was hoping they were home, just laying low and taking care of each other, but he doubted that was the case. Alec could find trouble in an empty room, and Ben wouldn't let his brother get into trouble by himself. But them even still being in their world was the best-case scenario. He and Dean were thrown into some alternate universe, so there was no telling where the boys were.

But the sooner they found a way back, the sooner they would find the boys. He and Dean couldn't be away from them, especially like this. He'd never told Dean this, but Alec had run away from him a few months after Dean and Ben had disappeared. He'd called the police, got as many people as he could for a search party, and tore apart the town. He'd stayed awake for three days looking for him, but then finally found him outside of their house, huddled in a ball, crying. He wanted to yell at Alec for scaring him like that, but he was so relieved to have him again that he'd just held him. Turned out, Alec regretted running away as soon as he'd left since couldn't be away from him for that long, but he had already been out looking for his nephew, so he wasn't there. Alec had thought he'd gotten mad at him and left him all alone. He practically refused to let go of Alec for weeks after that since he'd been so afraid that he was going to disappear again. He didn't want the boys to think they abandoned them.

"Finally," Dean grumbled once he got back with a few lizards. "What took you so long?"

"It hasn't even been that long," Sam complained.

"Feels like it," Dean muttered, taking the lizards from him. He let his brother fix up the lizards for dinner since he knew Dean was dying to do something to try to help. Dean felt bad since he'd been taking care of him since he'd gotten hurt, even though it wasn't Dean's fault. Too bad he was never going to get that through his brother's thick head. "Hope the boys are getting enough food," Dean said as he stabbed chunks of lizard on the end of a stick and held them over their small fire.

He chuckled, "That's one thing you don't have to worry about. You might have to break Alec's shoplifting habits once we get back, but they aren't gonna go hungry."

Dean laughed and nodded in agreement, "Yeah, guess you're right." His brother was quiet for a few minutes, but then said, "I don't think anyone can stop his shoplifting. I almost broke the habit when he was twelve, but he definitely started it up again while I was a demon…"

"I know," Sam said.

"Maybe tomorrow we can go around, see if there's anything strange," Dean said. "Somehow, we got shoved into this crap-land, so there's gotta be a way back out. A door, secret portal…something, we just gotta find it."

"We can look a little bit, but I still don't think we should go far from here," Sam said. "This cave gives us a little protection, so I don't think we should give it up yet."

"I still want to look," Dean said as he passed him a lizard-kabob. "I gotta feel like we're doin' something…"

"Ok," Sam said. He didn't think Dean should be moving that much, but he knew they couldn't stay in this cave forever. To get back to the boys, then they would have to go out and find it. He still thought the boys would find a way to them before they found a way out of here. Either way, they needed to get their family back together again. "We'll look tomorrow," Sam said, eating a bite of the lizard. He hated that he was getting used to the taste of the lizard, but hopefully they'd be getting back home sooner rather than later.

* * *

 _2010_

 _"Go, go, go," Dad said, ushering him into the motel lobby. He scowled when Dad wiped the water off his face and messed up his hair, but that just made his Dad laugh. "Whew. Nice digs, for once," Dad said, looking around the fancy lobby, which was full of people. "C'mon," Dad said, leading him over to the front desk with Uncle Sam following behind them. "Busy night," Dad said to the front desk dude._

 _"Any port in a storm, I guess," front desk dude, or Chad according to his nametag, said. "If you could just fill this out, please," Chad said, sliding a piece of paper over for Dad to sign. Dad pulled him closer to his side as he filled out the paper. "Sir, I think…" Chad said, holding out a tissue and gesturing to Dad's neck where he could see a little blood. "Shaving nick there. And your key." The front desk dude kind of freaked him out a little. He didn't know why but he seemed a little creepy._

 _"Oh. Thanks," Dad said, taking the tissue and the key. He put the tissue against his neck and pulled it away to see blood on it. He frowned, but then looked at Chad and asked, "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a coffee shop, would you?"_

 _"Buffet. All you can eat," Chad said. "Best pie in the tri-state area."_

 _"You don't say?" Dad said with a smile. "C'mon kiddo, let's get some dry clothes, and then we can pig out." Dad picked him up, and he let him since he was tired and soaked, and he really wanted some food. Plus, it felt really nice to be held like this. He was glad that he could call Dean Dad for real now, since that's what he was. Dean was his Dad, and nothing was going to change that, not even the apocalypse._

 _They changed into dry clothes, and then went to the buffet. Uncle Sam grabbed his hand and led him over to one of the tables while Dad loaded up on the food. He knew Dad and Uncle Sam were still freaked out from everything that had happened with Michael and Zachariah. He had thought he was going to lose his Dad, but Dad didn't say yes, and they somehow made it out of there, even though they didn't_ all _make it out. He felt bad that Adam got stuck in there, and he knew Dad and Uncle Sam felt guilty about that. But Dad had reassured him and Uncle Sam that he wasn't going to say yes. But his family had been keeping him a lot closer since then, and as annoying as it could be, it still felt really nice._

 _Uncle Sam picked him up and sat him in one of the chairs while he sat down on another and immediately looked at his phone. He wanted to go over to Dad and make sure he was getting all of his favorite foods for him, but he knew Uncle Sam would freak out if he got up and wandered off. He grumbled a little when Dad stopped and tried to talk to some lady, but luckily, he didn't talk to her for long._

 _"Sam, unpucker, man," Dad said, passing over plates full of food. "Eat something." He immediately dug into his food, impatient to get to the mega-slice of pie Dad got for him. "Hey, slow down and chew, kiddo," Dad said. He rolled his eyes and slurped up a noodle, making his Dad laugh._

 _"We should hit the road, Dean," Uncle Sam said without looking up from his phone._

 _"In this storm?" Dad asked. "It's-"_

 _"It's biblical," Uncle Sam interrupted. "Exactly. It's freakin' Noah's ark out there, and we're eating pie."_

 _He glared at Uncle Sam since he wasn't going to leave until_ after _they ate the pie. "How many hours of sleep did you get this week? What? Three? Four?" Dad asked. "Bobby's got his feelers out, ok? We have talked with every hoodoo man and root woman in 12 states."_

 _"Yeah, well, I'm not giving up," Uncle Sam stated._

 _"Nobody's giving up," Dad said. "Especially me. We're gonna find a way to beat the devil, ok? Soon. I can feel it. And we will find Cas, we'll find Adam. But you are no good to me burnt out."_

 _"Yeah…yeah, ok," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Come on, we've actually got the night off for once," Dad said. "Let's try to enjoy it. Right, kiddo?"_

 _"Right," he said around a mouthful of food._

 _"That's my boy," Dad said proudly. He glowed at the praise and quickly shoved in more food._

* * *

 _He picked Alec up since he knew he could still get away with it. He hated near death experiences, but they definitely made his little boy clingy, which made him feel needed. Alec was wiped out since they'd been going nonstop for a while now. They needed the night off. Plus, his little boy definitely took advantage of the all you can eat buffet. He was warm and snuggly, which was the perfect time for him to actually go to bed since he wouldn't argue about it right now._

 _He rubbed Alec's back as he and Sam made their way back to their room, but he frowned when he saw a little nick of blood on Alec's neck. He made a mental note to find a Band-Aid once they got in their room. As graceful as his little boy was, he was also pretty clumsy sometimes._

 _He looked up and saw a couple making out in front of the room next to theirs. He glanced over at Sam and smirked._

 _"Dude, you have a kid," Sam said._

 _"He's asleep, leave me alone," Dean said. "And I'm young at heart." Sam rolled his eyes as he opened the door and let him in. He made a beeline for the bed, so he could put Alec down, but stopped when he saw the little chocolates on the pillows. "Chocolates! You want yours?" he asked, looking over at his brother. Sam shook his head no, so he quickly pocketed the candy, planning to eat one for himself and give Alec the other one since he would love the little treat. He picked up the TV special and smiled, "Check it out, 'Casa Erotica 12' on demand." Sam scoffed, so he demanded, "What?"_

 _"Isn't this place…in the middle of nowhere?" Sam asked instead of pointing out again that he had a kid, which he was thankful for. He loved Alec, but he could still enjoy adult things when Sam took his kid out to explore. Although, now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he'd done anything too adult with Alec around. Alec had barely experienced anything, and he loved taking him new places and showing him new things. Alec was the cutest kid all the time, but when he showed him something new, his face just lit up, and he wasn't about to miss any of that._

 _"So?" he asked. Why couldn't they have something nice for once? They deserved it._

 _"So, what's a four-star hotel doing on a no-star highway?" Sam asked._

 _He started to put Alec down, but stopped when the bed from the next room thumped against the wall. He chuckled and looked over at Sam, but then frowned when the next thud sounded a lot harder, actually moving the flat screen TV. "Oh come on…" Dean grumbled as he and Sam ran out of their room._

 _He let Sam pick the lock since he was still holding Alec. He thought about taking Alec back to their room, but he wasn't leaving his little boy alone if there was something in the motel. They broke into the room next door to find it empty._

 _"Hello?" Dean called out, slowly walking into the room. He stopped and slowly crouched down, which was not easy with a sleeping nine-year-old, to pick up an engagement ring from the floor._

 _"Hello?" Sam called out. No one answered. The room was empty, the wall was dented, but there was no sign of what really happened._

 _"Dad?" Alec asked sleepily, his head still resting against his shoulder._

 _"Everything's ok, Alec," Dean soothed, rubbing Alec's back again. He tried to tell himself that maybe this was nothing, but he couldn't even lie to himself on this one. Something weird was definitely going on. "Front desk?" Dean asked, looking over at his brother. Sam nodded, so they left the empty room to go back to the creepy front desk clerk. He shifted Alec slightly since he was getting heavy, and then walked right up to the desk. "The, uh, the room next to ours…the couple that are, uh, joined at the lips…have you seen them?" Dean asked._

 _"Mr. And Mrs. Logan…the honeymooners?" the man asked. He nodded, impatient to get to the bottom of this. "They checked out. Is something the matter?"_

 _"They checked out?" Sam asked, surprised._

 _"Mmhmm," the man hummed in acknowledgement. "Just now."_

 _"Really? It sort of seemed like they were, uh…in the middle of something," Sam said, shooting a look at Alec. He smirked since Sam tried to shelter Alec from everything. He didn't blame him at all, since he would do the same thing, but it was still funny._

 _"Yeah, it's kind of weird for honeymooners to, uh, check out without this," he said, holding up the engagement ring he had found._

 _"Oh, dear," the man said, taking the ring from him. "I'll just put that right in the lost and found. Don't you worry. Is there anything else I can help you with?"_

 _"Uh, no. No, we're good," he said._

 _"Super-fantastic," Chad said as they walked away._

 _"Creepy," Sam muttered once they were far enough away._

 _"Broke the needle," he mumbled back. "Alec, wake up, kiddo. We've got ourselves a case…" Alec slowly woke up again, so he carefully set him down, but grabbed his tiny, little hand. Alec leaned against him, still tired, but looking fairly alert. "Alright, well, me and Alec will scope out the joint, and you keep an eye on Norman Bates over here." Sam nodded, and then slowly moved away from them. "I mean, one night off. Is that too much to ask?" Alec giggled, which made him smile. "Right after this, we're gonna eat so much ice cream."_

 _"And pie?" Alec asked._

 _"Of course!" Dean said with a wide smile. "Pie is always a given." He took a deep breath and led the way over to the elevator. "All we have to do is check out this place, stop whatever crazy shit is goin' on, and then we can go to bed."_

 _"Uncle Sam said you weren't supposed to say shit around me," Alec said._

 _"What Uncle Sam doesn't know won't hurt him," Dean said. "You wanna control the EMF?"_

 _"Yeah," Alec said. He passed over the detector and watched as Alec expertly set it up. He smiled and ruffled Alec's hair when he looked up at him to make sure he was doing it right._

 _"Home run, kiddo," Dean praised._

 _He picked Alec up and spun around, making his little boy laugh and wiggle in his arms. He knew this was now suddenly a hunt, but Alec deserved to have some fun. They all did. He tossed Alec over his shoulder, making Alec use the EMF meter pretty much upside down. Alec didn't seem to mind, in fact, he wiggled some more to make it harder for him to hold._

 _"Whoa," Alec breathed when they passed a room with the door open. He stopped and took a few steps back to see whatever it was, but his eyes widened in alarm when he saw a man wrapping a towel around himself._

 _"This ain't no peep show, man!" the guy yelled._

 _"Sorry," Dean quickly apologized, moving on._

 _"Dad, that guy looked like an elephant," Alec whispered once they were a little further._

 _"Seriously?" Dean asked, flipping his kid right-side up again._

 _"I…I think so," Alec said, sounding unsure now. They hadn't hit up the zoo yet, and Alec's education was seriously lacking in the things-all-little-kids-should-know department. Ask Alec to figure out a college-level algebraic equation, and the kid would have it solved within one-minute flat. Ask him to define a six-syllable word, and he would give every definition there was, the origin of the word, and most of the time, the Latin word that was it's equivalent. Ask him what his favorite animal was, he had no idea. It was like Manticore decided that they should skip basic human education and go straight for college level courses. The zoo was still on their list of firsts, but now it was definitely going to move up the list. "The really, really big one with the long nose, right?" Alec asked._

 _"Trunk," Dean said. "That's what the long nose is called. And big, floppy ears."_

 _"Yeah," Alec said. "It filled up the whole room."_

 _"Well, that's pretty weird, huh?" Dean said._

 _"Yeah, especially since it turned into a dude after I saw it," Alec said._

 _"What sound does an elephant make?" Dean asked as he carried Alec back to the lobby. He laughed as his little boy made a trumpet-like sound with his lips. He copied him, and then blew a raspberry on his stomach, making him giggle uncontrollably. They made elephant noises back and forth at each other until they were back in the lobby. The lobby that was now completely empty._

 _He slowly put Alec down again, holding his hand, and looked around the room. Sam came in after a moment, but immediately frowned when he saw the empty room. "Find anything?" Sam asked slowly, sounding weirded out that everyone was suddenly gone._

 _"Well, Alec saw a dude who was an elephant, and then a dude again," Dean said. "Didn't you, kiddo?"_

 _"Yup! He was huge," Alec said._

 _"An elephant?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Like, an elephant?"_

 _"Really big, long trunk, floppy ears, Uncle Sam," Alec said, sounding way more confident this time around. "Filled up the whole room."_

 _"What sound did it make?" Sam asked, trying to hide a smile. They were both trying to teach Alec kid things, and come on, it was the cutest thing in the world for Alec to try to sound like an elephant. Alec instantly made the sound again, beaming when Sam laughed and nodded. "Alright, yeah, you know what an elephant is."_

 _"'Course I do," Alec stated. "But I don't think seeing some dude turn into an elephant counts as seeing a real elephant. I still think we should go to this so-called zoo."_

 _"You know elephants aren't the only thing there," Dean said. "The zoo is next on our list."_

 _"Good," Alec said._

 _"So, what…where is everybody?" Sam asked, walking over to the front door._

 _"Let me guess," Dean said just as Sam tried the door. "It's locked." Sam nodded, so he asked, "So what…the roaches check in, they don't check out?"_

 _"Think about how we got here," Sam said. "That detour on I-90? The freakin' hurricane?"_

 _"You saying we were led here?" Dean asked._

 _"Like rats in a maze," Sam said. Sam picked up Alec, and then said, "We should try to find someone that works here. See if anyone knows what's going on…"_

 _"Yeah, but not that creepy front desk guy," Dean grumbled. "If you ask me, that dude's in on it." Sam chuckled as he led the way around the desk back into the kitchen. There had to be someone around that they could talk to. He walked around Sam when he spotted a pot on the stove with what looked like soup boiling. He walked over to the pot and grabbed the ladle mumbling, "Please be tomato soup. Please be tomato soup." He lifted the ladle pulling up eyeballs. "Motel hell," he muttered, dropping the ladle again._

 _"Alec, don't touch," Sam said as Alec reached for the ladle._

 _"I didn't get to see," Alec complained._

 _"You don't want to see that, kiddo," Dean said, taking his kid back from his brother. Alec listened to him more than Sam, especially when he wasn't allowed to do something._

 _Sam started walking over to the freezer, and he followed his brother since he didn't know what else they could do here. No one was around, so he didn't know who they could ask about what was going on. He really wanted to just hightail it out of there, but that didn't look like it was in the cards for them._

 _"Help us!" A man suddenly yelled, pounding against the little window of the freezer. "Get us out!"_

 _He and Sam ran forward, and Sam quickly got his lock pick out of his pocket. He looked around the empty kitchen, just knowing they didn't have a lot of time. He still didn't see anyone, but someone could show up again at any moment. "Hurry up!" Dean said. He wanted to get Alec out of here, but he couldn't leave these people._

 _"I'm going as fast as I can," Sam said._

 _"Dad!" Alec warned._

 _"There's somebody behind us, isn't there?" Dean asked._

* * *

 _"You let him go," Dad growled as men forced him, Dad, and Uncle Sam into the Grand Ballroom. He ran to his Dad as soon as he was released, and then looked around the room full of people. The dude that had been an elephant was there, and so was Chad, the creepy front desk guy. Dad pulled him closer to his side, and he knew he wanted to pick him up, but they might need to fight in a minute, so he couldn't. "Something tells me this isn't a Shriner convention," Dad grumbled._

 _"Dinner is served," Chad said._

 _"Ladies and Gentlemen, our guests of honor have arrived," the man at the head of the table said. They were all forced to sit in chairs as all the other people sat down. "Thank you for coming," the main guy said to the rest of the people. "Although in all my centuries, I never thought I'd see this. This many gods under one roof."_

 _"Gods?" Uncle Sam asked Dad. His parental figures looked around the room again, looking like they recognized some of the people there. He looked at everyone's nametag, but he only recognized a few names from his studies at Manticore._

 _"Now, before we get down to brass tacks, some ground rules," Baldur, the main guy, said. "No slaughtering each other. Curb your wrath. Oh, and uh, keep your hands off the local virgins. We're trying to keep a low profile here."_

 _"We are so…so screwed," Uncle Sam whispered._

 _"Now we all know why we're here," Baldur said. "The Judeo-Christian apocalypse looms over us. I know we've all had our little disagreements in the past. The time has come to put those aside and look towards the future. Because if we don't, we won't have one. Now we do have two very valuable bargaining chips. Michael, and Lucifer's vessels." He looked at his Dad and Uncle Sam, wishing he could at least sit on their lap or something. He shouldn't be that weak to want that, but if these were gods, then they wouldn't stand much of a chance. "The question is, what do we do now? Anybody have any bright ideas? Speak up. This is a safe room."_

 _The gods started arguing, some in English and some in another language. He didn't understand a lot of what they were saying, but he was more concerned with his Dad and Uncle Sam._

 _"C'mere baby," Dad said, picking him up and holding him close again. He snuggled against Dad's neck and wrapped his arms around him. There were too many gods to try to take out themselves, and they didn't even have any weapons. Dad and Uncle Sam started walking towards the exit, but Dad jumped back in surprise when the chandelier crashed in front of them._

 _"Stay," Kali, the only woman in the room, ordered. "We have to fight," she said to the rest of the gods. "The archangels…the only thing they understand is violence. This ends in blood. There is no other way, it's them, or us."_

 _"With all due respect, ma'am," Chad, or Mercury, since everyone apparently had two names around here, said. "We haven't even tried talking to them." Kali glared at Mercury, who started choking up blood._

 _"Kali!" Baldur yelled, forcing her to stop killing Mercury._

 _"Who asked you?" Kali demanded from Mercury._

 _Dad spun around suddenly as the Ballroom doors opened again. His eyes widened when Gabriel walked in. "Can't we all just get along!" Gabriel said. Dad started to say Gabriel's name, but he started choking instead. "Sam! Dean! And little baby Alec!" Gabriel said._

 _"I'm not a baby," he grumbled._

 _"It's always wrong place, worst time with you muttonheads, huh?" Gabriel said._

 _"Loki," Baldur said._

 _"Baldur," Gabriel replied. "Good seeing you too. I guess my invitation got lost in the mail."_

 _"Why are you here?" Baldur asked._

 _"To talk about the elephant in the room," Gabriel said. "Not you," he said to elephant man. He giggled since the elephant guy looked angry. But he kind of always looked angry, so maybe he wasn't any different. "The Apocalypse," Gabriel continued. "We can't stop it, gang. But first things first." Gabriel looked at them and said, "The adults need to have a little conversation. Check you later."_

 _Gabriel snapped, and suddenly, they were in their room again._

 _"Ok…did that…holy crap!" Dad said, walking further in the room. Dad set him down on the bed, and he frowned since he didn't want Dad to put him down. Dad just ruffled his hair though before he ran his hand down his face._

 _"Yeah, tell me about it," Uncle Sam said. "By the way, next time I say let's keep driving, uh, let's keep driving."_

 _"Ok, yeah. Next time," Dad replied sarcastically._

 _"Alright, so, what's our next move?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"I…I don't know," Dad said. "Grab those poor saps outta the freezer, I guess? Bust 'em out? Gank a few freaks along the way if we're lucky?"_

 _"And when are you ever lucky?" Gabriel asked. He jumped up on the bed since Gabriel had just appeared out of thin air again. He hated it when angels and demons did that. It was cheating._

 _"Well you know what, bite me, Gabriel," Dad grumbled._

 _"Maybe later, big boy," Gabriel said._

 _"Hey," Uncle Sam snapped. Dad and Gabriel looked at Uncle Sam, who looked at him. He rolled his eyes as Uncle Sam said, "He's nine. Just…just watch what you say."_

 _"Still not a baby," Alec mumbled. Dad walked back over to him though and picked him up again. No, he was not a baby, but yes, he did like being held by his Dad, especially when they were in near death situations like this. Besides, Dad and Uncle Sam always said he needed to catch up on kid stuff, so being carried was catching up._

 _"I should've known," Dad said to Gabriel. "I mean, this had your stink all over it from the jump."_

 _"You think I'm behind this?" Gabriel asked. "Please. I'm the Costner to your Houston. I'm here to save your ass."_

 _"You wanna pull us outta the fire?" Dad asked in disbelief. He didn't really believe it either since Gabriel was pro-apocalypse. He had tried to force Dad and Uncle Sam to 'play their roles' in TV land._

 _"Bingo!" Gabriel said. "Those guys are either gonna dust you, or use you as bait. Either way, you're uber boned."_

 _"Wow, 'cause a couple of months ago you were telling us that we need to 'play our roles'. You're uber boning us!" Dad yelled._

 _"Seriously Dean?" Uncle Sam snapped, glaring at Dad before he glanced over to him._

 _"It's not like he knows what it means," Dad said._

 _"What does it mean?" he asked, tugging on Dad's jacket collar._

 _"I'll tell you when you're older," Dad said._

 _"I'm older now," Alec replied._

 _Dad chuckled, "Not a few seconds older, kiddo, a few years older."_

 _"Oh…"_

 _"Can I continue?" Gabriel asked, sounding amused. Dad rolled his eyes, but nodded, so Gabriel said, "The end is still nigh. Michael and Lucifer are gonna dance the lambada, but not tonight. Not here."_

 _"And why do you care?" Dad asked._

 _"I don't care," Gabriel replied. "But, me and Kali, we, uh," Gabriel looked at him before he smirked and said, "Had a thing. What can I say? I'm sentimental."_

 _"Do they have a chance?" Uncle Sam asked. "Against Satan?"_

 _"Really, Sam?" Dad asked, definitely not happy now._

 _"You got a better idea, Dean?" Uncle Sam shot back._

 _"It's a bad idea," Gabriel said. "Lucifer's gonna turn them into finger paint. So, let's get going while the going's good, hmm?"_

 _"Ok. Great, why don't you just zap us outta here then?" Dad asked._

 _"Would if I could, but Kali's got you three by the short and curlies," Gabriel said. "It's a blood spell. You boys are on a leash."_

 _"What does that mean?" Dad asked._

 _"It means, it's time for a bit of the old black magic," Gabriel said, spraying something in his mouth._

 _"What's that?" Alec asked._

 _"Nothing," Dad said. "Another thing for when you're older."_

 _"Dad," he whined._

 _"Alec," Dad whined right back, making him giggle. Dad messed up his hair before he looked back at Gabriel, "We're gonna take the hors d'oeuvres in the freezer with us."_

 _"Forget it," Gabriel said. "It's gonna be hard enough sneaking you mooks outta here."_

 _"They called you Loki, right?" Dad asked. "Which means they don't really know who you are?"_

 _"Told you," Gabriel said. "I'm in witness protection."_

 _"Ok, well, then how about you do what we say, or we tell the, uh, legion of doom about your secret identity," Dad said. "They don't seem like a real pro-angel kinda crowd."_

 _"I'll take your voices away," Gabriel threatened._

 _"We'll write it down," Dad said._

 _"I'll cut off your hands," Gabriel said._

 _"We can try to use our feet," Alec suggested._

 _"I'll cut off your feet too," Gabriel said._

 _"Well then, people are gonna be asking, 'Why are you guys running around with no hands or feet?'," Dad said, making him giggle. Just the thought of running around in front of a group of gods with no hands or feet was hilarious to him._

 _"Fine," Gabriel reluctantly agreed before he disappeared._

 _"Now what?" Dad asked._

 _Uncle Sam shrugged, "I guess try to get out? I don't know…see if we can get back to that freezer?"_

 _"Yeah, alright," Dad said. "There's no tellin' how long it'll take Gabriel to get our blood back." Dad slowly put him back down but grabbed his hand to keep him close. "You stay with me, ok kiddo?"_

 _"Ok," he easily agreed._

 _They snuck down the hallway back down to the lobby. They stopped suddenly, and Uncle Sam grabbed Dad to pull him against the wall. Dad grabbed him to keep him out of sight too as two men drug one of the freezer dudes out._

 _"No! No! No! Please!" the man yelled as they slammed him onto the front desk._

 _Uncle Sam pulled Dad back again when he started to move to try to help the guy, but the two men chopped into the guy's neck with a meat cleaver. His eyes widened, but Dad refused to let him go, and Uncle Sam refused to let Dad go. "It's too late," Uncle Sam whispered._

 _Dad held him close as they waited for the two guys to clear out again. He could tell Dad wanted to pick him up, but right now wasn't a good time. If they had to run, then Dad would want him to run without them, even though he should know by now that he wasn't going to do that._

 _"C'mon," Dad said once the other two men were gone._

 _They took off for the kitchen again, and the people inside the freezer started screaming as soon as they saw them. Uncle Sam ran to the door and tried to unlock the freezer, but he didn't see if he managed to get it or not. He was suddenly thrown off his feet, and he crashed into a rolling cart of plates before he fell to the floor. He heard Dad grunt as he was thrown across the room by the Asian god before he went after Uncle Sam, grabbing him by the neck and pinning him to the door._

 _Dad struggled to get up but looked at him and silently told him to stay put. He didn't want to stay put, but he knew Dad would freak out if he didn't listen. Dad got up, and his eyes widened when his Dad pulled out a wooden stake, and stabbed the guy that was choking Uncle Sam._

 _"Where the hell is Gabriel?" Dad asked, breathlessly._

* * *

 _He grumbled as they were thrown back into the ballroom. Gabriel hadn't come through, so they'd been captured again. He gently pushed Alec towards Sam, hoping that his little boy would be safer with his brother since he was planning on doing something incredibly stupid. He looked up and saw Gabriel sitting in the room with the rest of the gods._

 _"How long have you known?" Gabriel asked Kali._

 _"Long enough," she replied._

 _"How's the rescue going?" Dean asked, glaring at Gabriel. Either Gabriel had been found out, or he'd switched sides again and had given them up. He really shouldn't be surprised since he hadn't thought Gabriel was really going to help them, but they didn't have any other options right now._

 _"Well, surprise, surprise," Kali said, ignoring him. "The Trickster has tricked us."_

 _"Kali, don't," Gabriel said._

 _"You're mine now. And you have something I want," Kali said as she reached into Gabriel's jacket and pulled out his angel blade. "An Archangel's blade. From the Archangel, Gabriel."_

 _"Ok, ok! So I got wings, like Kotex," Gabriel said to the rest of the gods. "But that doesn't make me any less right about Lucifer."_

 _"He's lying," Kali said. "He's a spy."_

 _"I'm not a spy," Gabriel argued. "I'm a runaway. I'm trying to save you. I know my brother, Kali. He should scare the living crap out of you. You can't beat him. I've skipped ahead, seen how this story ends-"_

 _"Your story. Not ours," Kali cut off. "Westerners, I swear. The sheer arrogance. You think you're the only ones on earth? You pillage and you butcher in your God's name. But you're not the only religion, and he's not the only God. And now you think you can just rip the planet apart? You're wrong. There are billions of us. And we were here first. If anyone gets to end this world, it's me." Kali walked closer to Gabriel and then said, "I'm sorry." She stabbed Gabriel, killing him in a flash of light._

 _He heard a soft gasp, and he knew it was Alec. His little boy was raised as a soldier, but he wasn't used to seeing people he knew die. Alec had glared and yelled at Gabriel when they'd been trapped in the TV world, but he knew his little boy secretly thought the angel was funny. And Alec was too young to see people die. He should have done a better job at protecting Alec from this. Sam held Alec closer and nodded to him, telling him that he had Alec, he was going to protect him._

 _"This is crazy," Mercury said._

 _"They can die," Kali said, as if Mercury hadn't said anything. "We can kill Lucifer."_

 _He decided this was his best chance, so he slowly walked closer to the gods, away from Sam and Alec just in case this didn't go his way. "Alright you primitive screwheads, listen up," Dean demanded._

 _"Are you outta your mind?" Sam hissed._

 _"I'm outta options," he shot back before he looked at the gods again. "Now on any other given day, I'd be doing my damndest to, uh, kill you. You filthy murdering chimps. But, uh, hey, desperate times." He saw Sam push Alec behind him, planning for the worst to happen. "So, even though I'd love nothing better than to slit your throats, you dicks." Sam cleared his throat and glared at him, silently telling him to watch his language. He rolled his eyes and got back on track. "I'm gonna help you. I'm going to help you ice the devil. And then we can all get back to ganking each other, like normal. You want Lucifer, well, dude's not in the Yellow Pages. But me and Sam, we can get him here."_

 _"How?" Kali asked, definitely sounding pissed off, but at least a little curious._

 _"First you let those main courses go," Dean said, needing at least someone to live through this. Alec was his first choice to survive, but he knew his little boy wouldn't stop trying to get back in here if he had him leave. "Then we talk. We can either take on the devil together, or you lame-ass bitches can eat me. Literally."_

 _He ignored Sam's bitch-face since he used more language in front of their nine-year-old, but seriously, Alec had heard a lot worse, and he knew not to say it in front of Sam unless he wanted a lecture. His boy wasn't stupid._

 _"Fine," Kali reluctantly agreed, nodding for him to go._

 _"Watch him," he said to Sam as he ran out of the room. Another god went with him and let the people out of the freezer while he went to the front door and held it open. "Come on everybody! Let's go," Dean said as the victims ran from the motel. "Go, go, go! Get outta here!"_

 _"Psst! Dean!" He looked around and spotted what looked like Gabriel inside his car. He walked over, glaring at Gabriel. "Don't look at me! Act natural. Get in."_

 _He rolled his eyes and got in, shaking his head. "Man, there is nothing natural about this at all. I thought you were dead," Dean said. He ran his hand down his face because he was going to have to explain to Alec how Gabriel could still be alive. He was going to completely screw his kid up._

 _"You think I'd give Kali my real sword?" Gabriel asked in disbelief. "That thing can kill me!"_

 _"Then what do they have in there?" Dean asked._

 _"A fake!" Gabriel said like it was obvious. "Made it out of a can of diet orange slice. So, uh, go snag our blood, would ya?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"I heard you in there," Gabriel said. "Kali likes you. You can get close. Lift the plasma, then we vamoose."_

 _"No," he stated. Not only would getting close to Kali get him killed, but there was no way he was doing Gabriel a favor right now. "Hand over the real blade. Better yet, why don't you sack up and help us take down Lucifer."_

 _"You can't be serious," Gabriel said._

 _"Deadly."_

 _"Since when are you butt buddies with a bunch of monsters? That's all they are to you, aren't they?" Gabriel challenged._

 _"Alright, you know, Sam was right," Dean said. "It's nuts, but it's the best idea I've heard, so unless you have a better one…"_

 _"Well, good luck with that," Gabriel said. "Me? I'm blowing Jonestown. Those lemmings wanna run off a cliff, that's their business."_

 _"I see right through you, you know that?" Dean asked. "The smartass shell, the whole 'I could give a crap' thing? Believe me, it takes one to know one."_

 _"That so?" Gabriel asked._

 _"Yes. And maybe those freaks in there aren't your blood but they are your family," Dean said. He wasn't sure if that was true or not, but it sounded good._

 _"They just stabbed me in the freakin' heart!" Gabriel yelled. That was true, they did do that. Kind of ruined his previous statement._

 _"Maybe, but you still give a crap about 'em, don't you?" Dean asked, giving it a shot._

 _"Dean."_

 _"Now they're gonna die in there, without you," Dean said._

 _"I can't kill my brother," Gabriel said._

 _"Can't or won't?" Dean asked. Gabriel didn't say anything. "That's what I thought."_

* * *

 _"So you're going to summon Lucifer," Kali said to him as they waited for Dean to get back._

 _"Sort of," Sam mumbled, pulling Alec closer to himself. He didn't like how some of the gods were looking at him. He'd probably be a nice snack for one of these guys, and there was no way he was going to let that happen. "I just need you to squeegee some stuff from my ribs and he'll come running."_

 _"Breaking them would be easier," Kali stated._

 _"Show's over," Dean said, making a stupid grand entrance back into the room. Alec went running for him, and Dean easily picked him up. "Sword's a fake, and Gabriel, he's still kicking," Dean said. Alec's eyes widened, but Dean was on a roll now. "I hate to break it to you, sister, but you've been tricked."_

 _"Gabriel's alive?" Sam asked, surprised._

 _"Yeah," Dean said. His brother looked at him, silently asking him if he was ok. He nodded back, but looked around the room, silently thinking they were still screwed. Thankfully, Dean walked over to him with Alec in his arms. Whatever was going to happen, at least they were together._

 _The lights started flickering, which definitely meant bad news._

 _"What's happening?" Baldur asked._

 _There were screams from the hallway from the other gods that had left the room. The doors flew open again as Lucifer walked in._

 _"It's him," he said._

 _"How?" Kali asked._

 _"Does it matter?" Dean asked her. "Shazam us outta here, would ya?" His brother sounded slightly panicked, but that was because Alec was way too close to the devil right now._

 _"We can't," Baldur said, sounding surprised._

 _"Of course you can't. You didn't say 'mother, may I?'" Lucifer said. He looked at them, and he took a step in front of his brother to try to help protect Alec. "Sam, Dean, and…I'm sorry, I never got the baby abomination's name…but, good to see you again."_

 _"Baldur, don't," Kali warned as Baldur walked towards Lucifer._

 _"You think you own the planet?" Baldur asked. "What gives you the right?" Lucifer shoved his hand into Baldur's chest before he ripped him apart. Dean turned to block Alec's view, hopefully preventing him from seeing another death that would scar him for life._

 _"No one gives us the right, we take it," Lucifer said._

 _Lucifer tossed Baldur to the ground and looked at them. He was pretty sure his brother was about to get tossed aside again, but he turned to face Kali when he noticed that Lucifer wasn't looking at them. His eyes widened as her arms caught fire, and then she threw a fireball at Lucifer. He quickly ducked and ran at his brother, making sure he was going to be safe._

 _They both jumped over one of the overturned tables, and then ducked down for cover. Dean covered Alec's head and held him as close as he could._

 _"You ok?" Sam asked his brother._

 _"Not really," Gabriel said, suddenly appearing next to them. Alec gasped in surprise, still not used to people coming back from the dead. He shook his head, hating that in their life, someone just coming back from the dead wasn't the weirdest thing to happen. "Better late than never, huh?" Gabriel pulled what looked like a DVD out of his jacket and handed it to Dean. "Guard this with your life."_

 _Gabriel stood up suddenly, and he and Dean did the same. Kali was suddenly thrown through the Ballroom doors as Gabriel said, "Lucy, I'm home." He looked over at them and yelled, "Guys! Get her outta here."_

 _"Over a girl," Lucifer said to Gabriel as they ran out of the room._

 _They didn't look back since this was their one shot of making it out of there alive. And he knew Dean would choose Alec over Gabriel. They had agreed, Alec was their priority, no matter what. It had been bad enough being locked in a motel full of gods, but now that Lucifer was here, this was their only chance._

 _"I'm not getting in that thing," Kali said once they made it out to the parking lot._

 _"Just get in the car, princess," Dean grumbled._

 _He opened the door for Kali before he got in the front seat, taking Alec from his brother, so he could get in. With Kali in the back, Alec was definitely sitting up front with them even though it wasn't safe. It would be worse for Alec to be in the back with a goddess who needed some anger management classes._

 _"We'll drop you off and we won't kill you, if you give us back our blood," Dean said to Kali as they sped down the road, away from the motel._

 _Kali didn't look happy, but she did give him their blood. They dropped her off once they made it to the next town, but then they kept driving. Dean wanted to get as far away from Lucifer as they could, so they just kept going. He held Alec once they dropped Kali off since he knew Alec needed some comfort right now. His little nephew liked to pretend that nothing bothered him, but the past few weeks had been rough for everyone, let alone a nine-year-old little boy._

 _It was morning by the time they stopped again._

 _"We should watch this," Dean said, holding up the DVD that Gabriel had given him._

 _"Dude, Casa Erotica 13?" Sam said. "There's no way we're watching that together…"_

 _"I'm guessing it's not actually Casa Erotica," Dean said._

 _"Better not be," Sam grumbled as Dean pulled into an empty parking lot._

 _Dean grabbed the laptop out of the back before he got out of the car. He started to move Alec to the seat, so he could get out too, but his brother stopped him. "Don't you dare leave him in here alone," Dean said. "Not after what we just went through."_

 _"We're watching porn," Sam said. "And as weird as it is that we're gonna watch this together, we're not letting our nine-year-old kid watch porn."_

 _"It's not gonna be porn," Dean said. "And if you put him down, then I'm just gonna pick him right back up."_

 _"I still think this is a bad idea," Sam muttered. He got out with Alec anyway, who of course woke up as soon as the DVD started. "I'm covering his eyes."_

 _"What is it?" Alec asked sleepily. "Are we watching a movie? Why are we watching a movie in the parking lot?"_

 _"Dear Diary, being a high powered business president is super-fun," a woman said. He shot Dean a glare, but he just rolled his eyes and took Alec from him. "But sooo exhausting. Sometimes, I just need to relax. I need Casa Erotica."_

 _"Room Service!"_

 _"Come in!"_

 _"We need to stop this," Sam said. "This is…not good for kids."_

 _"I'm not a kid," Alec said._

 _"Yes you are," he and Dean said at the same time._

 _"Why did he want you to guard this with your life?" Sam asked as Dean covered Alec's eyes again. Alec tried to remove Dean's hand, but then Dean tickled Alec, making him giggle. Hearing Alec giggle was probably the best thing he'd heard all year, and he never wanted him to stop._

 _"Maybe he's a fan," Dean said. "Besides, it's a good one."_

 _"Dean."_

 _"What? He's not even paying attention," Dean said._

 _"Why is Gabriel on the screen?" Alec asked._

 _"Right…he's not even paying attention," Sam grumbled._

 _"Shut up."_

 _"I've got the kielbasa you ordered," Gabriel said on the screen._

 _"Ooh. Polish?" the woman asked._

 _"Hungarian," Gabriel replied._

 _Dean actually covered Alec's eyes this time as Gabriel started kissing the woman on the bed. "Great. Not only are we watching porn, but it's staring Gabriel," Sam grumbled._

 _"I can't help what's on the screen, Sam," Dean said. "Cover his ears or something…"_

 _"Let's just turn it off," Sam said._

 _"Hey, he gave us this for a reason," Dean said._

 _Gabriel finally turned to face the camera and started talking to them. "Sam, Dean, and I'm hoping not little, baby Alec. I mean serious, you're letting your six-year-old watch porn with you?"_

 _"I'm nine!" Alec yelled at the screen. "And I'm not a baby!"_

 _"You're probably wondering what the hell is going on. Well, if you're watching this, I'm dead. Oh please! Stop sobbing, it's embarrassing for all of us. Without me, you've got zero shot at killing Lucifer, sorry! But you can trap him. The cage you sprung Lucifer from? It's still down there. And maybe, just maybe, you can shove his ass back in. Not that it'll be easy. You gotta get the cage open, trick my bro back into it. And, uh, oh yeah, avoid Michael and the God Squad. But hey, details, right? And here's the big secret, Lucifer himself doesn't even know…the key to the cage? It's out there. Actually it's keys, plural. Four keys, well, four rings. From the Horsemen. You get 'em all, you got the cage. Can't say I'm betting on you boys. But, uh, hey! I've been wrong before. And Dean, you were right. I was afraid to stand up to my brother, not any more. So this is me, standing up." Gabriel stood up, and then said, "And this is me, lying down." Gabriel jumped on the bed, and he immediately shut the laptop before they could ruin anymore of Alec's meager childhood._

 _He glared at Dean for letting Alec watch that, but Dean just ignored him and said, "Horsemen, huh? Well, we got War's. We nicked Famine's. That's two down. Collect all four? All we need is Pestilence and Death."_

 _"Oh, is that all?" Sam asked sarcastically._

 _"It's a plan," Dean said. He nodded and grabbed his laptop. Dean tickled Alec again and threatened, "If you tell anyone we let you watch that, I'll tickle you to death."_

 _"No!" Alec yelled, giggling and trying to wiggle away._

 _Dean tickled and played with Alec for a few minutes before they were both breathless from laughing so much. He got into the car, and slowly his brother followed his lead, plopping Alec between them._

 _"Dad…did that mean Gabriel was really dead this time?" Alec asked, leaning against Dean's side even though he really should be in the backseat._

 _"I don't know, kiddo," Dean said. "But there's a pretty good chance that Lucifer really killed him."_

 _"Oh…"_

 _"I'm sorry, Alec," Dean said, wrapping his arm around Alec as he drove._

 _"I know he was a dick and all, but I kinda liked him," Alec said. "He was funny."_

 _He glared at Dean because obviously Alec was picking up on their vocabulary even though Dean kept saying that he wasn't._

 _"He had his moments," Dean said. "But he did help us out back there, so I'll give him that."_

* * *

Present

"So…where is he?" Alec asked. He took on a little more of his brother's weight to try to help however he could. He hated that they were still in hell. He hated that they were trusting Crowley and Ketch, who had tried to kill his brother in the past. And he hated that Alec was hurt. He needed to protect his little brother, and so far, he was doing a crap job. "Where's Gabriel so we can get out of this dump," Alec asked.

"Watch your tone, Chipmunk," Crowley warned, taking Alec's jab at hell personally. "I'm the only reason you're still alive."

"Don't talk to him," he said with a glare.

"With just a snap, I could disintegrate both of you," Crowley said.

"Then do it," Alec challenged. He wanted to be thankful that Alec was sounding a little more like himself again, but seriously? His brother picked the worst time to start challenging the bad guys. "That's what I thought," Alec said when Crowley didn't do anything. "If you were gonna disintegrate us, you would've done it already. Or you could've just left us for dead instead of helping us."

"Don't make me change my mind," Crowley said.

"Can we get back to the real issue here?" Ketch asked. "Once we get out of here, then we can go back to trying to kill each other."

"Remind me again why we need you?" Alec asked.

"You put on a good act when you want to, Alec," Ketch said. "But don't forget, I had my chance at killing you too."

"Yeah, but you didn't, and then Mary killed you instead," Alec said with a smirk.

"And now I'm back," Ketch said. "Death didn't agree with me."

"We could always try again," Alec said.

"Alright, hey," Ben said when Alec tried to move away from him. "Try not to piss them off for two seconds, ok?" His brother glared at him, but didn't say anything else, so he looked at Crowley and Ketch and asked, "Where's Gabriel?"

"Well, you see, that's where we ran into a little snag in the road," Ketch said.

"Apparently, Asmodeus has Gabriel on a leash," Crowley said. "To get to Gabriel, we'll need to kill Asmodeus."

"So, forget Gabriel," Ben said. "You said you could get us out of here, so do it."

"Don't you think if I could have done that, I would have already tried it?" Crowley asked angrily.

"Asmodeus has hell on lockdown," Ketch said. "He won't let anyone in or out without his say."

"Which means we need to kill Asmodeus," Alec muttered. "And you need Gabriel to kill him since he's a Prince of Hell, right?"

"You're smarter than I remember," Ketch said.

"Yes or no," he snapped. He hated it when people tried to put his brother down. Alec did that enough by himself, he didn't need anyone else telling him what he was already thinking. He was going to have to try to convince his brother, again, that he was smart and that he wasn't just a screwup. He really wished Dad and Uncle Sam were at home, waiting for them. Or, even better, he wished Dad and Uncle Sam would bust in and save them, so they wouldn't even have to rely on Crowley and Ketch in the first place. Too bad that wasn't going to happen.

"Yes, we need Gabriel to kill Asmodeus," Ketch said. "Which is going to be difficult since it appears the Archangel has been tortured for years, and may, or may not, help us."

"Great," Alec grumbled. "So, what's the plan?"

Neither of them said anything, so he guessed, "They don't have one."

"Great," Alec said again.

"Gabriel only knows one person in this room," Crowley said. "If we get baby Chipmunk into the Throne Room, then maybe he can jog his memory, remind him that he's an Archangel and he will take control."

"If he remembers who he is, then he has the power to take down Asmodeus," Ketch said.

"No," Ben stated. "No way. I'm not letting you use my brother to _maybe_ get Gabriel to remember who he is. That's a stupid idea, and we're not doing it."

"If you have any bright ideas, we're listening," Crowley said.

"What's the plan to get me in there?" Alec asked.

"No," Ben growled. "You're not doing this."

"We need out of hell," Alec whispered to him. "If I can get through to Gabriel, then maybe he can help us get to Dad."

" _If,_ Alec, _if_ you can get through to Gabriel," Ben said. "What happens if you can't get through to him?"

"Then we die," Alec said.

"That's not helping your case," Ben said.

"What's the plan to get me in there?" Alec asked again. "I'm out of the fight, and Ben's gonna watch my back, so what are you two gonna do?"

* * *

"This is stupid," Ben grumbled. "This is so stupid."

"Are you gonna do this the whole time?" Alec asked.

"Shut up," Ben said. They snuck down the hall, following Ketch even though neither of them trusted him. But they didn't really have any other choice. "Any idea what you're gonna say to Gabriel?" Ben asked.

"No clue," Alec muttered. "I was nine when I met him…He probably doesn't even remember me. Most of the angels didn't even know my name."

"Gabriel at least knew your name, right?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, but he thought I was six," Alec said.

"Six?" Ben asked, amused.

"Hey, we were both small for our age," Alec defended. "Plus, next to Dad and Uncle Sam…they thought I was a baby."

"Would you two keep it down?" Ketch asked. "I would rather not reveal our position until we have to."

"We're strategizing," Alec snapped.

"Then strategize without speaking," Ketch suggested.

He rolled his eyes and decided to focus on walking instead. His side was killing him, he was seeing about two of everything, but he was still going. He had no clue how he was going to snap Gabriel out of whatever was going on with him, but he had to try. They had to get out of hell, and they were going to need Gabriel to get Dad and Uncle Sam back. He didn't know how, but it couldn't hurt to have an Archangel with them.

Ben caught him when he stumbled suddenly, and he somehow managed not to groan in pain. Maybe if he could get Gabriel back, then he'd break heaven's big rule and heal him. Otherwise, he'd have to wait until he healed again to try to break Dad out of wherever he was.

"Stay here until you hear something like a distraction," Ketch said to them.

"I can't wait until we can stab him in the face," Alec mumbled once Ketch was gone.

"Get in line, little brother," Ben said. "I'm gonna beat you to it."

"You just always have to pull the big brother card, don't you?" Alec asked, amused. "You're not that much older than me anyway."

"12 seconds or 12 minutes, I'm still older than you," Ben said with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes, "When are you gonna get a new line?"

"Never," Ben said. They both stopped talking when they heard what sounded like a fight in the other room. "C'mon little brother, we've got work to do," Ben said as he helped him get moving again. He prayed that this was going to work.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	22. Chapter 22

_Hey everyone, this is another long chapter, hope that's ok. The flashback is the episode Pac-Man Fever from season 8, hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 22

 _2013_

 _"You ok?" Ben whispered to him, looking around to make sure Dad and Uncle Sam weren't around._

 _"Yeah," he whispered back. Dad was out on a supply run and Uncle Sam was still asleep since the second trial had really taken it out of him, so it was just him and Ben hanging out in the bunker. "I just miss Bobby…and I hate it when we talk to Crowley."_

 _Ben looked surprised that he'd admitted that much, but he didn't ask him about it. He didn't talk about his time when he'd been kidnapped, just like Ben didn't talk about his time in Purgatory. "Do you want to go exploring?" Ben asked. "We could check out more of the bunker…" He shook his head no and curled up more in the chair he was sitting in. He didn't feel very good, which meant he was probably going to have a seizure soon. "I could go find some snacks," Ben offered, knowing he didn't feel good. "Or Dad should be back soon, and he said he was going to get ice cream." He shook his head again but looked up when Ben walked out of the room. Ben came back after a minute with pillows and blankets under one arm and something else held under his other. He looked over curiously, but Ben was pulling chairs out and setting them up._

 _"What're you doing?" Alec finally asked._

 _"Making a fort," Ben replied._

 _He slid off his chair and slowly walked over to his brother. "Why?"_

 _"Because we're gonna read comic books, and Dad said it's always best to read comic books in a fort," Ben said. Ben set up the fort, and then put some pillows on the floor, under his makeshift fort. "C'mon, I grabbed our favorites." He crawled under the blanket, into the fort, and sat down next to his brother. Ben got comfortable on the floor, opening up one of the comic books before he looked over at him. He grabbed one of the spare blankets that hadn't made it as part of the fort, and then laid down next to his brother. He ended up dozing off until he heard the bunker door open. "It's ok, I think it's Dad," Ben whispered._

 _"You boys reading comics?" Dad asked, walking over to their fort. Dad peeked under the blankets, and then smiled when he saw them. Dad's eyes flickered with concern when he saw him curled up in a blanket, but he didn't ask him how he was feeling yet._

 _"Yeah," Ben said. "We're reading our favorites."_

 _"You guys want some ice cream? Or, I'll make some shakes, how does that sound?" Dad asked._

 _Ben looked over at him, and he nodded back. "Shakes," Ben said._

 _"Alright, I'll be back," Dad said._

 _Ben went back to reading the comic book, so he closed his eyes again. He was tired and he was starting to feel worse, which meant he needed to take another pill. Dad would probably bring him one when he came back._

 _He barely opened his eyes again when he heard Dad's footsteps come back into the room. He heard someone else stumbling and shuffling into the room, and he assumed it was Uncle Sam. "Man, I'm telling you, give me five minutes with some clippers, and…" Dad said._

 _"Oh, shut up," Uncle Sam grumbled. "Uh, what time did I lay down?"_

 _"You took a siesta around noon. Yesterday," Dad stated. He jumped when he heard some glass shatter on the floor._

 _"I'm sorry, I, uh…"_

 _"That's why we don't have nice things, Sam," Dad said. "You ok?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm, I'm fine, I just…" Uncle Sam stopped, and then a chair screeched back. "Where are the boys?"_

 _"In their fort," Dad said._

 _"Is Alec sick?" Uncle Sam asked, concerned. He must have spotted the milkshakes or something._

 _"Yeah…think so," Dad mumbled. "But I've got his pills and milkshakes, so hopefully we can stop the seizures before they actually happen this time."_

 _"I'm gonna get dressed," Uncle Sam said after a moment. "We should go find Kevin."_

 _"Hey, easy, sleeping beauty," Dad said. "Look, I've hacked into every security camera around Garth's houseboat, Kevin's hometown, where Mrs. Tran lived…"_

 _"And?"_

 _"Well, nothing so far," Dad admitted._

 _"Dean, we have to find him," Uncle Sam said._

 _"I know. I know, but Garth is out looking for him, we got a hunter APB out on Kevin, we will do what we can from here while you get better," Dad said. Their blanket fort moved suddenly, and then Dad was there passing over the milkshakes with a small smile. "You can keep reading if you take some more pills," Dad whispered to him. He took the pills without arguing since he didn't want to have a seizure._

 _He looked over at Ben, who nodded back to him and grabbed his milkshake. He slowly crawled out from under their blanket fort, and Dad carefully picked him up, wrapping the blanket around him tighter and holding him close. He knew he was starting to get too big to do this, but luckily, he hadn't hit his growth spurt yet and he was small for his age, but he didn't care either way since he was cold, and he wanted his Dad. Ben crawled out too, and then gave Dad his milkshake. He slowly drank the milkshake even though he knew it was just going to make him colder. But he didn't want just regular milk, so this was going to have to work._

 _"We'll find Kevin, Sam, we will, let's just cool our heels for a bit," Dad said._

 _"I'm fine. Dean, I can still go out there, I can still hunt," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Really?" Dad asked in disbelief. "Fine. I've got a little test for you."_

 _Dad stood up, moving him slightly, so he could carry him easier before he motioned for Ben to come too. Ben stayed close to Dad as they walked through the bunker, and Uncle Sam staggered behind them. He was surprised when Dad walked all the way to the range since it was kind of a long way for Uncle Sam to walk._

 _"This is stupid," Uncle Sam grumbled._

 _"Ben, go ahead and hit some targets for me, buddy," Dad said. Ben pulled out his gun before he fired at the target, hitting it in the chest in a bullseye both times. Ben looked up at Dad, and then smiled when he gave his brother a proud smile. "Alright," Dad said to Uncle Sam. "You hit that target, we'll talk about getting you back out there."_

 _"No problem," Uncle Sam said. Ben handed Uncle Sam his gun, and Uncle Sam aimed at the target, but then had to use both hands to steady the gun. He fired twice but was way off both times._

 _"Look, man, this second trial hit you a lot harder than that first one," Dad said. "I don't know whether it was just more intense or what."_

 _"Felt the same. Till the next day," Uncle Sam said._

 _"So, we're gonna sit tight. Keep an eye out until you get better," Dad said. Dad led the way back to the main room, but he didn't sit down like he expected him to. "Alec, you wanna lay down for a while? We can hang out, watch some Netflix on the laptop if you want," Dad suggested. He just snuggled closer to his Dad and refused to let go. Dad slowly sat down, letting him stay sitting on his lap, but he made him drink more of the milkshake. Ben sat down next to Dad, looking at the comic books again while Uncle Sam sat across from them, looking at his laptop._

 _Dad started going through some book, rubbing his back, humming 'As Time Goes By', the song Henry Winchester had been whistling. He rested against his Dad's chest and dozed off. He probably should just go to bed, but he didn't like his room unless Ben was there too. He didn't know if he really liked the bunker yet, but he was slowly getting used to it. Most nights, he still ended up finding Dad's room since he couldn't get used to sleeping by himself. At least Dad let him share a room with his brother. Dad had caved after he'd found him sleeping outside in the Impala for the sixth time._

 _"Hey, I just got an email," Uncle Sam said. "It's from Charlie. 'In the neighborhood, found you guys a case.' Found us a case?"_

 _"In the neighborhood? How the hell does she know where we are?" Dad asked._

 _"Uh, well, she doesn't," Uncle Sam said. "Not exactly, at least. It says she tracked our cells to a twenty-mile radius, then the signal went out." He woke up a little since he wanted to see Charlie again. He really liked LARPing. Maybe he could talk Dad into doing it again. "Huh. This place must be in some kinda, like, Bermuda Triangle."_

 _"What, are you saying we can make and receive phone calls from here and nobody can track us?" Dad asked. Uncle Sam must have nodded, but he decided to rest against his Dad again. "Man, I love this place."_

* * *

 _"Your Highness!" Dean said happily as Charlie got out of her car. They were outside even though he thought Sam and Alec should both be inside. But they both wanted to see Charlie, and Alec claimed he felt a little better after drinking the milkshake. He was still going to keep Sam and Alec on the bench if there really was a hunt, but they could say hi to Charlie._

 _"What's up, bitches?" Charlie said, giving him a hug. Sam stood up to give Charlie a hug, but then had to lean against the Impala again as soon as she released him. "You ok, Sam?" Charlie asked._

 _"Yeah, no, I'm, I'm good," Sam said._

 _"Charlie!" Ben and Alec said at the same time, running over to hug her. He had reluctantly let them walk down to the little creek, but they had come running as soon as they heard her car pull up. He kept a close eye on Alec as he took a slightly unsteady step back from Charlie._

 _"What's up, little dudes?" Charlie asked. "Sorry about the bitches from earlier, Sam. They probably heard me."_

 _Sam huffed with a smile, but shrugged, "I'll let it go this time. What're you doing in Kansas?"_

 _"Uh…a comic convention. In Topeka," Charlie said._

 _"In the middle of the week?" Sam asked._

 _"Girl's gotta get her collectibles," Charlie said. "So, are you gonna invite me into your dungeon, or do I gotta answer your 'questions three' first?"_

 _"Allow us-let us introduce you to the Men of Letters," Sam said, leading the way back to the bunker._

 _"C'mere kiddo," Dean said, grabbing Alec before he could get too far away. He picked him up, even though he was starting to get too big for this._

 _"Dad," Alec complained, embarrassed since Charlie was here now. But she was too far away now to notice._

 _"You feelin' better?" Dean asked._

 _"Yeah, I feel better. The milkshake helped," Alec said in a rush. "Lemme go. I wanna show Charlie something."_

 _"No, no, no, hey, c'mon," Dean said, putting Alec down, but keeping ahold of his arm. "Slow down, ok? I know you're excited to see Charlie again, but you were pretty close to having a seizure. You've got a pretty good streak goin', right?"_

 _"I didn't have one," Alec said with a pout._

 _"And let's keep it that way," Dean said._

 _"I'm fine," Alec grumbled, forcing his arm out of his grip. Alec looked guilty after that, but he ran back inside the bunker._

 _He sighed since sometimes he was allowed to talk to Alec about his seizures and sometimes he wasn't. He knew he'd messed up when he and Ben had gotten back from Purgatory, and he'd fixed things with Sam and Alec, but there were still times like this, he knew just how much he'd screwed up. He slowly walked back into the bunker to find Charlie, Sam, and Ben in the library. He was concerned that he didn't see Alec, but he would look for his little boy after he found out what Charlie had for them._

 _"Holy awesome," Charlie said. "Too bad they got wiped out, though that is what they get for the sexist name."_

 _"Well, anyway, that's our skinny. How about you?" Sam asked._

 _"Um, made a deal with the yesteryear weirdos, we're gonna team up to stomp the shadow orcs," Charlie said. "You guys are still coming to the mid-year jubilee, right?"_

 _Ben looked up at him hopefully, so he said, "Wouldn't miss it." The boys had loved hanging out in the kingdom with Charlie, and he had to admit, he enjoyed it too. The boys needed to have some fun every so often anyway, so it would be good to go again._

 _"Where's Alec?" Ben asked him, looking for his brother._

 _"I made him mad talking about the seizures," Dean said. "He'll show up again when he's ready."_

 _Ben didn't look happy, but he sat down instead of taking off to look for his brother. They all sat down to talk about the case, even though part of him was wondering where Alec could be._

 _"So, what about this case you brought us?" Sam asked._

 _"When I was in Topeka, I saw this pop up over the wire," Charlie said, looking at her tablet. "Tom Blake, a checkout clerk in Salina, who went missing on his way home from work. He was found dead yesterday, his insides liquefied. Locals have no idea what happened, they tried to bury the report so people wouldn't freak, but I flagged it. I have eliminated the following things that go bump in the night…"_

 _"Wait a second. When did you become such an expert?" Sam asked._

 _"Well, after you guys left, I dug into all things monsters," Charlie said. "I'm a wee bit obsessive. If 'wee bit' means completely. I also found this series of books, by a Carver Edlund?" He winced and shared a look with Sam. "Did those books really happen?" Sam sighed while he looked away awkwardly. "Wow. That is some meta madness," Charlie said before she looked at him, "Thanks for saving the world and stuff." She looked over at Sam and said, "Sorry you have zero luck with the ladies."_

 _"We need to find every single copy of those book and burn them," Sam said._

 _"They're online now, so good luck with that," Charlie said._

 _"Awesome…"_

 _"What books?" Ben asked curiously._

 _He groaned, "Great…" Alec sort of knew about the books since he'd been at that convention they'd been tricked into going to, but he'd never asked to read them. He had a little hope that maybe Alec had forgotten about them after that hunt, and just left it at that. Alec wasn't really big on reading for fun unless it was comic books, so he didn't think he had to worry about it. But Ben loved reading, and now it was going to be impossible to keep him from reading those books, even though he didn't want him to._

 _"What books?" Ben asked again._

 _"Ben, drop it," Dean said. Ben glared at him for a second before he took off. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair._

 _"Sorry," Charlie said sheepishly. "But they should know how awesome you guys are."_

 _"There's a lot of other stuff in there that twelve-year-olds shouldn't read," Dean muttered._

 _"Yeah, aren't you full-frontal in-"_

 _"Can it, Sam," Dean growled._

 _"It's too late now," Sam said. "Ben heard Carver Edlund. He'll probably have the first one halfway done by the time we're done with this conversation."_

 _"Awesome," he said again as he stood up. "Well, you two crazy kids deal with that, I will go see if there's anything to this, uh, case of yours."_

 _"I'm coming with you," Sam said. "And the boys won't sit out for another hunt. We benched them on the last one…they're not gonna agree to that again."_

 _Sam got up, but staggered, almost falling over, but Charlie jumped up and grabbed his arm. "Whoa, are you sure you're ok?" Charlie asked._

 _"Yes," Sam said._

 _"No," Dean said. "You're taking a knee as long as you're off your game. You can stay here with the boys. Make sure Alec takes a chill pill, and Ben stays off the internet."_

 _"I'll go with you," Charlie suggested._

 _"No disrespect, ok, but there's a big difference between reading about hunting and actually hunting," Dean said._

 _"I'm coming with," Charlie stated. He sighed, but then headed for the range again with Charlie behind him. He loaded his gun but was startled when Charlie grabbed it from him. "For serious?" she asked._

 _He rolled his eyes and said, "Ok, now, if you can hit that target then we can talk about you actually-"_

 _Charlie turned and fired twice, hitting a headshot both times. His eyes widened in shock since he thought only his boys shot that good. "What?" Charlie asked when he didn't say anything._

 _"Alright, if you're gonna do a ridealong, then, uh…you gotta lose the novelty t-shirts," Dean grumbled._

 _"Son of a pantsuit," Charlie said._

* * *

 _He hated that Dean decided to just go without him. He looked around for the boys, but they were hiding from him, both probably doing something they weren't supposed to. Ben was probably onto book two or three in those stupid books, and Alec was probably in the kitchen, eating junk food. He would find them before he left to make sure they were ok, and to make sure they wouldn't freak out when they found the bunker empty._

 _His phone started to ring, and he rolled his eyes since he knew this was Dean even though it wasn't his number. "Yeah?"_

 _"Hey, it's me," Dean said. "You ok?"_

 _"Yes, Dean," he replied. "I'm still fine. Look, I can hunt, I-"_

 _"Well, then let the healing continue," Dean cut off. "I'll check in with you later."_

 _He glared at his phone when Dean hung up on him. He was surprised his brother didn't ask about his kids, but he probably assumed that Ben and Alec were still mad but were probably hanging out together since even when they had an argument, it wasn't long before they made up again. This time they weren't even mad at each other, they were just a little upset with Dean, but they would get over that pretty fast too._

 _He picked up his gun and fired at the target twice. Unfortunately, he didn't hit the target, but it was closer than last time. "Close enough."_

 _He walked back to his room and changed into his suit before he went looking for the boys. He checked the room that the boys had been hanging out in a lot first, but they weren't there. He knew Dean was planning on turning this room into a rec room with games and a TV and whatever else he could find, but so far there was just a sofa and a chair. He went to the boys' room next, and he found Ben, but no Alec._

 _"Hey buddy," Sam said, making Ben look up from the laptop he'd gotten for him. It wasn't the best, but it was enough to let him look things up and read books online if he wanted to. He really hoped Ben hadn't found those books, but he was pretty sure that's what he'd been reading when he walked in. "What're you doing?"_

 _"Reading," Ben replied, looking at the computer again. "Where are you going? I thought Dad said you couldn't hunt since you couldn't hit the target."_

 _He dropped his head back and tried not to groan, but seriously, Ben could be as bad as Alec sometimes. He took a deep breath and said, "I went back and hit the target, so I'm going out."_

 _"Ok."_

 _"Ok?" Sam asked, surprised. Usually it was a fight if they benched the boys from hunting. "Are you reading those books?"_

 _"Yep," Ben said. "Bought them all."_

 _"Ben," Sam reprimanded. "Dean said no. Give me the computer."_

 _"No," Ben said. He took a step forward, but Ben pulled his computer away from him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't read them. They're about you and Dad. I should know this stuff."_

 _"Ben, I'll tell you whatever you want to know," Sam said. "But there are things in there…you're not old enough to read them yet."_

 _"Like what?" Ben asked suspiciously._

 _"Like sex," Sam said honestly. "We've never had the talk with you and Alec, and twelve is too young for that."_

 _Ben made a grossed-out face and looked at his computer suspiciously this time. "That's in here?"_

 _"Yeah," he said. Ben slowly put his laptop down and looked at him again. "Ok, how 'bout we make a deal," he suggested. "Let's get rid of them for now, and you promise to wait until you're older to read them, ok? I won't stop you once I think you're old enough to read them."_

 _"Promise?" Ben asked._

 _"I promise if you promise," Sam said._

 _Ben thought about it for a minute, but then nodded, "Ok…"_

 _"Can I have your laptop?" he asked. Ben looked suspicious again, so he said, "Just so I can get rid of them, and then I'll give it right back."_

 _"Fine," Ben said, giving him the laptop._

 _He grabbed the laptop and nearly breathed out in relief. Ben wasn't ready to read those books yet, and he was going to try to make sure he never read them. But at least for now, the deal would hold. "Alright, I'm gonna find your brother, and then take off for a while," Sam said._

 _Ben hopped off his bed and ran up to walk next to him. "I'll find Alec with you," Ben said. "He's probably upstairs. He likes looking out the windows."_

 _"Really?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah, I don't know why," Ben said with a shrug. "But Dad took the Impala, and I checked Dad's room before I went to our room. And he wouldn't be in the kitchen since he doesn't want you to find him. But don't tell him I told you where he likes to go."_

 _"Yeah, ok," Sam said with a frown. He wondered if Alec liked being upstairs since he was claustrophobic now. Whatever Crowley did to him, it had made his nephew quieter and he was definitely scared of small spaces._

 _"I'll go up there and get him," Ben said. "I don't want him to know that I told you."_

 _"Ok, I'll stay right here," Sam said. He didn't want to let Ben go by himself, but if Alec let Ben know where he liked to hide, then he didn't want to mess that up. Alec would find a new hiding spot if he knew that someone besides Ben knew about it. He started to get worried though, when Ben was gone longer than five minutes._

 _He got up and headed for the stairs but stopped when he heard one of the boys running. He couldn't see who it was, but he didn't have to wait too long to find out. Ben looked over the rail and looked at him with pain clear in his eyes. "Uncle Sam, Alec's having a seizure," Ben said. He took the stairs two at a time to get up to Ben, but his nephew was already talking. "He fell asleep up there, and then he knew it was too late once I woke him up. But he thought he was gonna get in trouble since he was about to break his streak and he didn't want Dad to get mad at him, and then he started seizing."_

 _"Ok, show me where he's at," Sam said._

 _"You can't get there," Ben said, tears in his eyes now. "You're too big…"_

 _"Ok, go back to Alec and make sure he stays on his side, ok? He might hurt himself if no one's with him," Sam said, urging Ben to go up to his brother again. Ben went to a tiny crawlspace that was in the wall, and he was shocked that Alec voluntarily went into that since he and Dean had to force him through a small space during a hunt in the past. Alec had a panic attack, and it killed them to force him through there, but they would have been killed if they hadn't made him go through it._

 _It seemed like an eternity before Ben crawled back through, and then Alec crawled out after him, shaking badly and in obvious pain. He scooped Alec up, and then took off for the kitchen. His nephew was difficult to hold since he was shaking, and he was pretty sure he was about to have another seizure. Ben ran ahead of him and grabbed the milk out of the fridge, holding it out to him. He took the milk, and then Ben took off again._

 _"C'mon Alec, I need you to drink this," Sam said. Exhaustion hit him suddenly, so he put Alec down on the counter and forced himself to stay conscious. "C'mon kiddo, please, I need you to take a drink, and then I'll take you to your Dad, ok?" Alec barely nodded, so he held the milk up to Alec's lips and helped him get a few sips in. Ben ran back and handed him a bottle of their pills. "Take some pills too," Sam urged. Alec rested against him, tears hitting his suit jacket. "Alec, please, you gotta take some more pills."_

 _"I want D-dad," Alec breathed, his voice weak._

 _"I know," Sam said. "We'll go see your Dad here in a minute, ok?"_

 _"Uncle Sam…something just happened," Ben said, looking over at the police scanner they had._

 _"What was it?" Sam asked, coaxing more milk into Alec._

 _"Two guys just poked a dead body and it kinda exploded," Ben said._

 _"Ok, Ben go get your brother his pillow and blanket," Sam said. "We're gonna take a trip." He tried to get Alec to drink some more milk, but he shook his head. "Alec, c'mon, you gotta drink a little more. I'm trying to keep you from having another one."_

 _"I d-don't f-feel good," Alec whispered, right before he threw up all over him. "I'm s-s-sorry," Alec said miserably, tears falling down his cheeks again._

 _"It's ok," he said, wiping the tears away. "But you know this means you gotta take more pills, right?" And he needed to get Alec another shirt since some throw up had ended up on him too. Dammit, he needed Dean here. He picked Alec up again and sat him on the floor instead. "C'mon, take some more pills for me," he said, keeping his voice soft and soothing._

 _"I-I'm gonna h-have another one," Alec said. He hated the fear in Alec's eyes, and he wished more than anything that Dean was here since that's who Alec wanted, but he couldn't reassure Alec that he wasn't going to have another seizure because he didn't know that, and Dean wasn't here._

 _"Hey, just try to relax," Sam said._

 _"Uncle Sam?" Ben asked, sounding scared._

 _"It's ok," Sam said. He'd been there for Alec before when he'd had a seizure, he could do this. "Let's see his pillow," he said, reaching out for Alec's pillow. Ben gave it to him, and he eased Alec down, resting his head on the pillow just in case he had another one. "Ok, Ben, keep an eye on him, ok? I've gotta change, and then I'll be right back," Sam said. Ben looked unsure since he'd never really taken care of Alec by himself. "Just stay with him," Sam said. "I'll only be gone a minute. If he starts seizing, just get him to his side, but don't leave him, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Ben said._

 _"I'll be right back," he said again. He stood up and ran to his room. He changed as fast as he could before he ran to Alec and Ben's room. He dug through Alec's clothes and grabbed his hoodie and one of his favorite t-shirts before he ran back to his nephews. Alec was still conscious, and even though he looked miserable, he wasn't seizing, so that was a good sign. He gently got Alec's filthy t-shirt off of him, and then got the clean one on instead. Alec wasn't trying to stop him from changing his clothes, but he wasn't helping either, which meant he was still hurting. "Alright, let's go find your Dad," Sam said, picking Alec up again._

 _"Should I bring the milk?" Ben asked._

 _"No, leave the milk here," Sam said. "But let's take his pillow and blanket with us."_

 _Ben followed after him as he walked outside to where Charlie's car was parked. He knew Alec would've felt better if they could have been in the Impala, but Dean took the Impala. He got the boys situated in the backseat before he took off for the latest dead body. He knew he needed to call Dean, but he didn't want to waste time pulling over, and he didn't trust his reflexes enough to call him and drive. Dean was going to be pissed, but at least the boys would have their Dad, and maybe he could prove to his brother that he really was ok._

 _He pulled up to the crime scene and flashed his badge, so he could see if Dean was here yet or not. He eavesdropped on whatever he could to figure out what had happened, but thankfully, his brother pulled up just a few minutes after him._

 _"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean grumbled, walking up to him while Charlie went to talk to the two teenagers that found the body._

 _"Alec had a seizure," Sam said._

 _"What?!" Dean asked, immediately looking for his boys._

 _"He's in the car and Ben's with him," Sam said. "Ben said he fell asleep, and then freaked out when he found him, afraid that he was going to get in trouble because he was about to have a seizure."_

 _"Shit," Dean breathed. His brother took off for the car, and he followed him, just a little slower. Dean opened the backdoor to let Ben out, and then carefully picked Alec up, holding him close. "I'm sorry Alec," Dean whispered._

 _"I f-fell asleep," Alec mumbled against Dean's neck. "I d-d-didn't m-mean to…"_

 _"Shh, it's ok," Dean soothed. "Everything's gonna be ok." Dean looked over at him and asked, "Did he take his pills? How many seizures did he have?"_

 _"He took his pills," Sam said, leaving out the part about throwing them up, and then having to take more. "He only had one seizure that I know of."_

 _Dean held Alec closer and rubbed his back, kissing the side of his head. "What happened here?" Dean asked to distract himself. He knew his brother felt guilty for not being there when Alec needed him, but there was still a case to work._

 _"Jake Hill, librarian," Sam said, telling his brother what he'd overheard before he got here. "Went missing yesterday, no relation to the other vic. Coroner already swooped in and scooped up what was left of him."_

 _"Yeah, we met her, bit of a stickler," Dean said. "Well, if there's not a body, there's nothing else to see here, so why don't you take the boys home?"_

 _"Dean, we still have a case here," Sam said. The boys wouldn't stay home by themselves, but he didn't want Dean to work this case by himself. He trusted Charlie, but she was still new to all of this. Dean needed someone to watch his back._

 _"Look man, I know you're frustrated, but you're also sick," Dean tried. "Me and Charlie can work this case."_

 _"I'm not leaving, Dean," Sam stated._

 _"I know you wanna help, I do, but-"_

 _"Dean, you cannot take care of the both of us," Sam cut off. "I need to be out here. Play through the pain, right?"_

 _"Come on man, don't quote me to me," Dean grumbled. "Besides, Alec should be in bed right now, not out here, and he can't stay home by himself. So, you gotta take the boys home."_

 _"Alec wants to stay with you," Sam said. He knew his nephew. Alec always wanted Dean when he had a seizure, and he wasn't going to let go of him now._

 _"What happened?" Charlie asked, looking at Alec, concerned._

 _"He had a seizure," Dean said as he put his hand on the back of Alec's head, letting him hide since he didn't like looking weak in front of other people. "What'd you find out from the two kids?"_

 _Charlie took a deep breath, and then said, "The boys said they noticed something on the body's arm before it covered them in years of future therapy. Said it looked like a blue handprint."_

 _"Sounds like something you should read about," Dean said, looking at him. "In a book. At home."_

 _"I'm not leaving until we find out whatever is doing this," Sam stated. He knew the boys should go home again, but he had to prove to Dean that he could still hunt._

 _"Whatever," Dean growled. His brother looked away from him, and then spoke to Ben, his voice soft and soothing, "Ben, grab Alec's stuff."_

 _"Are we going back to the bunker?" Ben asked, grabbing Alec's pillow and blanket before he held Dean's free hand._

 _"Not yet," Dean muttered._

 _"You guys fight like an old married couple," Charlie said as Dean walked over to the Impala and got the boys settled in the front seat. He shook his head since Dean was letting both of the boys sit up front with him. He knew his brother was freaked out still, but Alec should probably be in the backseat. "Does this mean we don't have to break into the coroner's office anymore?" Charlie asked._

 _"That's a good idea," Sam said._

 _"Is he leaving?" Charlie asked when Dean peeled out of the parking lot. "He's leaving!"_

 _"That's alright," Sam said. "I stole your car. I think I know where he's going. Come on."_

 _"Cool," Charlie said. "Wait, you stole my car?"_

* * *

 _He kept Alec close to his side as he went through the drive-through. Ben scooted as close to Alec as he could on his other side to try to help him get warm. He paid for the two milkshakes and the bag of fries before he drove over to the coroner's office. He parked, but he didn't make any move to get out of the car yet. He held Alec's milkshake and helped him drink small sips of it while Ben slowly ate some of the French fries._

 _"Do you h-have to go inside?" Alec asked, looking up at him, giving him puppy-dog-eyes._

 _"I'll only be gone a minute," Dean whispered. "I just wanna take a peek at the dead guy, and then I'll be right back, and we'll go back to the bunker."_

 _"Can we go too?" Ben asked._

 _"Not this time," Dean said, running his hand through Ben's hair before he did the same to Alec. "Just give me a few minutes." He kissed the top of Alec's head, "Drink this all gone, ok?"_

 _"Ok…"_

 _"I know your stomach doesn't feel good, but drink it all," Dean said. He slowly got out of the car, easing Alec down to the seat once he was out. "Stay here, both of you." He gave his boys a stern look, praying that they would actually listen to him this time before he closed the door and walked into the building._

 _He jumped when he walked in and saw Sam and Charlie were already inside. "What took you so long?" Sam asked._

 _"Stopped for drive through," Dean said._

 _"How's Alec?" Sam asked, but they both looked up when headlights appeared outside the window. "The hell?"_

 _Charlie took off, so he whisper-yelled, "Charlie. Charlie!"_

 _She ran around the corner, but thankfully she came back after a moment. "It's the coroner," she said. "I got this."_

 _He shared a look with Sam, but they turned at the same time and walked into the morgue. They probably wouldn't have a lot of time, so they had to get to it. "He drank most of a milkshake," Dean said as he opened up the box. He frowned and pulled it out to find it empty. "The hell?" Dean grumbled. "It's empty."_

 _"Uh…they burned the bodies," Sam said, looking through the paperwork._

 _"Already?" he asked, surprised._

 _"Yeah, they think it's some kinda like, uh, outbreak scenario," Sam said. "Even got the CDC to sign off on it."_

 _"These folks run a tight ship," Dean muttered._

 _"He threw up earlier," Sam said as he took pictures of all the paperwork. "I had him drink a lot of milk, and he threw it back up a few minutes later."_

 _He sighed; it was 50/50 if Alec would be able to keep milk down anymore, and it just made things worse when he threw up. "So, does this mean we need to take Silkwood showers now, or is this still a case?" he asked, feeling sick himself for not being there for his son when he needed him._

 _"Yeah, something about that mark the kid saw rings a bell," Sam said. "Probably have to check the lore, or maybe Dad's journal."_

 _He nodded, "Alright, hurry up."_

 _"On the plus side, I made a deal with Ben," Sam said, shooting him a small smirk. "He won't read those books until he's older."_

 _"Thank God," he breathed. At least one thing was going their way. He just hoped Ben would really wait to read those books until Sam told him it was ok. He knew Ben wanted to know about them and their past, but he wasn't ready for that yet._

 _They put everything back where they found it, and then took off before the coroner showed up. He went back to the Impala while Sam went to Charlie's car to wait for her. His boys looked up when he came back, and Alec snuggled against his side once he was sitting down. He checked the Styrofoam cup and smiled when he found that Alec had managed to drink most of the milkshake and there was no throw up in his car._

 _He took off back for the bunker, and then carried Alec inside once they were there. "Time for bed, kiddo," he whispered._

 _"I wanna stay with you," Alec mumbled against his shoulder._

 _"Alec…"_

 _"Please?" Alec whispered._

 _"If you stay with me, then you have to sleep," Dean said._

 _"Ok," Alec said, snuggling against his neck._

 _He quickly changed out of his suit before he walked back to the main room and slowly sat down with Alec on his lap, pulling the blanket a little tighter around Alec. He scooted the chair out that was next to him, and Ben quickly sat down. He thought Ben should go to bed too, but he wasn't going to win that one either._

 _Sam and Charlie came in a few minutes later. Charlie sat across from him while Sam went to change, and then walked over and picked Ben up. Ben quickly snuggled against Sam, needing the comfort almost as much as Alec did. Charlie got out her little tablet thing, so he got Dad's journal out and started looking through it. Sam opened his laptop and started to search for whatever this could be._

 _"Leviathan," Sam said after a while._

 _"No, they consume their prey," Charlie said._

 _"Well, maybe the vics were Leviathan," Sam said, sounding like he didn't believe it himself._

 _"No black goo on either scene in the coroner reports," Charlie said._

 _"Dragons, they uh-"_

 _"No signs of burns on the vics," Charlie said, crossing something off on her tablet._

 _"I hate that thing," Sam said. "I want one."_

 _He smiled a little to himself as he held Alec and looked through Dad's journal. Alec was sleeping soundly against him, only shaking a little bit now. He rubbed Alec's back and turned another page in the journal. He frowned, "Wait a second. Djinn." Alec's little nose scrunched up, feeling his chest rumble, but he quickly fell asleep again._

 _"Djinn vics don't get liquefied," Charlie said._

 _"No no no, not regular Djinn," he whispered. "According to this, there's a bastard offshoot. Uh, their eyes light up blue, they pass as humans, all that regular jazz, except these leave their victims with jelly-like insides, and supposedly, when they poison their victims, they leave behind a blue handprint."_

 _He smiled when Charlie and Sam looked at him in surprise. "I hate that thing," Charlie said, looking at Dad's journal with jealousy. "I want one."_

 _"So, these things die like regular Djinn?" Sam asked._

 _"Silver blade dipped in lamb's blood, yeah," Dean said. "And now we just gotta find the asshat."_

 _"Alright, well, breakthrough means snack time to me, and I wanna just stretch my legs," Charlie said, getting up. "I will pick us up some grub, and unlike you, Sam, I will not forget the pie."_

 _Charlie walked out, leaving him, Sam, and the boys at the table. "She seem a little off to you?" Dean asked._

 _"Since the second she got here," Sam said._

 _"Alright, I think the boys need some downtime," Dean said, slowly standing up with Alec in his arms. "Benny, c'mon, time for bed."_

 _Ben slid off of Sam's lap and ran up beside him. Alec was still asleep, and he hoped he would stay asleep even after he put him down. It was a toss up if Alec would stay asleep or not, but his little boy needed more than just a couple hours of sleep against him. If Charlie wasn't acting so weird, then he would just stay with Alec and enjoy twin cuddles from his boys, but he needed to make sure Charlie was ok too._

 _"Your room's startin' to look good," Dean said when Ben opened the door. There wasn't much in the boys' room, but it definitely looked better than Sam's room._

 _"Alec says we need more posters," Ben said, walking over to Alec's bed to sit down. He walked over too and sat next to his son. "I think we should put up Christmas lights…Alec sleeps better with lights on."_

 _"I can get you guys some Christmas lights," Dean said. "And then we'll hang them up together, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Ben said before he asked, "Do you have to go? Alec doesn't feel good still…"_

 _"I know he doesn't, but me and Uncle Sam gotta figure out what's goin' on with Charlie," Dean said. "But Uncle Sam's gonna stay with you, ok? And I'm not leavin' for a while still."_

 _"Ok…"_

 _"Alec just needs some rest," Dean said, turning so he could tuck Alec in. "You try to sleep too, ok? I'll wake you up when I leave." He kissed Alec's forehead, surprised that he stayed asleep, before he kissed Ben's forehead too. "Your bed or Alec's?" Dean asked when Ben didn't make any move to get up from Alec's bed._

 _"Alec's," Ben said._

 _"Ok buddy," Dean said with a smile, getting Ben tucked in next to Alec. "Try to sleep." Ben nodded and snuggled close to Alec._

 _He got up and was just about to turn the lights out when Ben said, "Leave them on, please."_

 _"Ok," Dean said. "Come get me if you need anything." Ben nodded and slowly fell asleep._

 _He reluctantly left his boys and walked back to the library where Sam was on the phone. "Charlie, it's Sam. Um, again. Call us. Ok?" Sam started coughing as he hung up, but he tried to stop once he saw him. "Hey."_

 _"Any word from Charlie?" he asked even though he already knew the answer._

 _"Uh, no," Sam said. "The boys get to sleep ok?"_

 _"Yeah, Alec stayed asleep and Ben seemed to be ok staying with Alec," Dean said._

 _"Well, I found out there's no comic convention in Topeka," Sam said. "I don't know why…I mean, why would she lie to us?"_

 _"One way to find out," Dean said, getting his phone out of his pocket._

 _"What are you doing?" Sam asked._

 _"When I called you from her phone, I turned on her GPS," Dean said. "Just wish she would just call us back. I don't wanna wake the boys up after just getting them in bed…"_

 _"They would freak if we didn't tell them," Sam said._

 _"I can't leave Alec alone right now," Dean said. "You gotta stay with 'em."_

 _"Or we could just come with you," Alec said from the doorway with his blanket wrapped around him. His voice was small, and he sounded like he was in pain, but Ben was with him. He just wished Alec could have slept some more._

 _He walked over to the boys and picked Alec up before he could collapse, and then grabbed Ben's hand. "We're just going to track Charlie's phone," Dean said. "You guys should stay here, sleep some more."_

 _"I sleep better in the car," Alec mumbled against his shoulder._

 _"Yeah, but you're not gonna stay in the car, are you?" Dean asked, already knowing the answer. He knew his son, and he knew Alec didn't wait in the car. He never had before, so why would he start now?_

 _"I don't know," Alec whispered._

 _"Dean…" Sam said, looking over at him._

 _He sighed, "Alright…we'll all go."_

* * *

 _He didn't know that he'd fallen asleep until Dad was shaking his shoulder to wake him up again. "Hey kiddo, me and Uncle Sam are just going to check out this apartment real quick, but Ben's gonna stay here with you, ok?" He wanted to argue, so he and Ben could go with Dad, but he was too tired right now, so he just nodded. "Alec?" Dad asked since he didn't say anything. Dad tended to freak out when he didn't say anything._

 _"Ok," he whispered. Dad still looked concerned since he was supposed to at least argue a little bit, but then he ruffled his hair and squeezed Ben's shoulder before he shut the door and walked into a building._

 _"You ok?" Ben asked as soon as Dad was gone._

 _"I'm just tired," he said. "And my muscles hurt…"_

 _"What do you think is wrong with Charlie?" Ben asked, even though he could tell that his brother wanted to tell him to rest some more._

 _He shrugged, "I didn't know something was wrong…" Stupid seizures…he missed a lot whenever he had one and he felt bad since he hadn't even known that Charlie was in trouble. He knew Dad was tracking her phone and they were going to search this apartment, but he hadn't thought Charlie was in trouble. He wished Dad would come back. He screwed up again. He was always screwing things up. What if Dad could've found Charlie sooner, but he didn't because he didn't want to leave him. Charlie could be hurt now because of him._

 _"Alec?" Ben asked, reaching out for him._

 _"What's wrong with Charlie," he asked to try to get Ben to stop looking at him like he was about to break._

 _"Dad and Uncle Sam think that she's acting weird," Ben said. His brother reached over to pull up his blanket a little more. He must've known he was cold. "I hope she's just inside, so we can go back to the bunker while Dad finishes up the hunt…"_

 _"I'm not going back to the bunker without Dad," Alec said._

 _"Alec…you can't hunt after a seizure," Ben said, his voice soft and gentle. His stupid soft, gentle voice always pissed him off. Well, not always, but right now it definitely was. "We can go back and read comic books, or Dad said he might've found a TV to set up."_

 _"No," he said._

 _"Alec-"_

 _"I said no," Alec said. "I don't like the bunker."_

 _"Why not?" Ben asked. "Dad said it was safe."_

 _"I don't care," he said with a sigh. "Dad can't make me go back, and if he does, then I'll just go upstairs. And you better not tell him where I am or else I'll kick your ass."_

 _Ben glared at him, and he felt a shiver of fear go through him because he knew that look. That was Ben's Purgatory look. He'd pissed Ben off by saying that he could kick his ass, when right now, it definitely wasn't true. He'd just had a seizure, so he wasn't kicking anyone's ass, but Ben could be scary sometimes when he got this look. He knew Purgatory was scary, and he knew Ben could really hurt him right now, but he trusted his brother. He didn't think he would hurt him. At least…he really hoped he wouldn't. Ben blinked a few times, and then he looked like his brother again. "Alec, I…I won't hurt you," Ben said, knowing he was scared. Ben scooted away from him, but now he felt bad. He knew Ben wouldn't hurt him._

 _"I know," he said. He slowly sat up and scooted closer to Ben, but his brother just moved again. There wasn't a lot of room in the backseat, but somehow Ben found a way to get further away from him. "Ben, I'm sorry," he said miserably._

 _"You don't have to be sorry," Ben said, looking away from him. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you…"_

 _He didn't want to talk about this, but he didn't want Ben to think he was scared of him either. "That was a while ago," Alec said. "I know you won't hurt me. We're brothers, remember?" Ben finally looked over at him and nodded. "I'm cold," he admitted._

 _"I could hotwire the car and turn the heat on," Ben suggested._

 _"Dad wouldn't like that," Alec said, trying to hide his smile. Ben would never break the rules unless it would help him. His brother was awesome._

 _"There might be another blanket in the trunk," Ben said. "Or I can go get Dad if you want me to."_

 _"No…hopefully he'll be back in a minute," Alec said._

 _Ben scooted closer to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. "You should probably lay down again…" Ben said, but he didn't try to move him at all._

 _"No…I'm ok here," Alec said._

 _He actually started to doze off again, but then Dad opened the door, which woke him up a little. "Is he ok?" Dad asked Ben._

 _"He said he was cold," Ben replied._

 _"Alec, kiddo, can you hear me?" Dad asked._

 _"Yeah," he whispered._

 _"We're gonna make a pitstop, and then we'll go back to the bunker," Dad said._

 _"Where's Uncle Sam and Charlie?" he asked._

 _"Uncle Sam's gonna do some more research, but we haven't found Charlie yet," Dad said._

 _"Where are we going?" Ben asked._

 _"We're going to the hospital," Dad said._

 _"Why?" he and Ben asked at the same time. Dad better not be planning on taking_ him _to the hospital because he wasn't going. He wasn't going to the hospital. He wouldn't do it._

 _"Not for you," Dad said, looking at him. "Charlie's been making donations to a patient at Shawnee County General. Gertrude Middleton."_

 _"So, we're going to go see Gertrude?" Ben asked._

 _"Yeah, I figured Alec wouldn't go back to the bunker yet, so we're headed to the hospital," Dad said. He smiled a little since Dad knew him._

 _He stayed snuggled against Ben as Dad drove over to the hospital, and thankfully, Ben didn't try to move away from him. He was still cold and wanted to stay close to someone since he'd had a seizure. Dad parked once they were at the hospital, and then opened the backdoor to pick him up, unfortunately without his blanket, but he wouldn't make a big deal about it. Ben got out of the car after him and quickly held Dad's hand. Dad asked one of the nurses where to find Gertrude's room, and then walked to where she directed._

 _He looked over when Dad stopped walking and saw a woman lying in a hospital bed with a machine making her breathe. He quickly hid against Dad's neck again since he hated hospitals. He didn't like seeing people like this, and more than anything, he hated the smell. He felt like he was going to be sick, and he knew Ben wasn't feeling much better. But Dad was with them, so everything was going to be ok._

 _"Can I help you?" a nurse asked when she spotted them in the doorway._

 _"Yeah, what can you tell me about her?" Dad asked. The nurse gave him a funny look, so he maneuvered him until he could get his fake ID out of his pocket and showed it to her. "I was on a trip with my boys when I got a call, so I'm just looking into what they tell me to."_

 _"Well, Gertrude's been in a persistent vegetative state for sixteen years," the nurse said. "About a year ago her condition got worse. This ventilator is the only thing keeping her alive."_

 _"How did this happen?" Dad asked._

 _"She and her husband were hit by a drunk driver. He didn't make it," she said. "They were on their way to pick up their daughter from a sleepover."_

 _"A daughter," Dad said in thought._

 _The nurse must have thought he was asking a question because she said, "She was twelve. She got into trouble after her parents' accident. Nobody's heard from her since. Folks have been donating to cover Gertrude's care over the years. It's a sweet gesture, but the truth is, she's gone."_

 _"She ever get any visitors?" Dad asked, shifting him again. He knew he was getting too big to be carried, but he didn't want Dad to let him go. He held on tighter, so Dad barely brushed his cheek against him, silently telling him that he wasn't going to let go of him. Normally Dad would just rub his back, but he was holding Ben's hand with his other hand, so he couldn't rub his back right now. He rested against Dad's shoulder, content to just stay here forever. Well, maybe not in the hospital, but with Dad and his brother. He just needed Uncle Sam here to make it perfect._

 _"A couple nurses said they thought they saw someone in here reading to her, but nobody's ever officially signed in to visit her. She's all alone," the nurse said to answer Dad's question. "If you'll excuse me, I have to make my rounds."_

 _"Thank you," Dad said. He waited until the nurse was gone to walk over to Gertrude. "You've got one hell of a daughter, Mrs. Middleton. I promise you I will find her."_

 _"Dad?" Ben asked._

 _"C'mon, let's get back to the bunker," Dad said. Dad slowly walked out of the room and back down the hall. He was ready to leave the hospital, but he felt really bad about Charlie's mom. He wished there was something they could do to help, but he didn't know anything about this kind of stuff. He really wished Charlie was around, so they could talk to her too._

 _"That was Charlie's mom," Alec said._

 _"Yeah, that was her mom," Dad said._

 _"Poor Charlie," he whispered._

 _Dad kissed the side of his head, "We'll find her." Dad opened the driver's door of the Impala, and then said, "C'mon Ben, you two can sit with me."_

 _"Ok," Ben quickly said, getting in before he slid over to make room._

 _Dad gently put him down, but then got in and pulled him against his side. Ben reached back for his blanket, and then scooted as close to him as he could, putting his blanket over both of them. Dad took the long way back to the bunker since he knew he loved being in the car, but then he picked up Uncle Sam and drove back. Uncle Sam gave Dad a look of disapproval for letting them sit up front without any seatbelts on, but Dad just shrugged back. He knew Dad wouldn't wreck, and he liked sitting by Dad when he had seizures because he'd gotten to sit by Dad when he'd had his first seizure._

 _Dad filled Uncle Sam in on Gertrude, and he finished when they got to the bunker. Dad picked him up again once there were there and took him back inside. He knew Dad wanted him to go to bed, but he didn't want to go. He wanted to stay with his family._

 _"So no chance of a recovery?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"No. No, Gertrude seemed like a cool mom too," Dad said, gently putting him down on a chair in the library. He pouted, but Dad just grabbed a pillow and wrapped him up in his blanket again. Dad smiled a little when he saw his pout, and then picked him up, sat down, and then let him sit on his lap again. Ben ran over and sat in the chair next to them, reaching over for John's journal. His brother loved looking through John's journal even though he was pretty sure he'd read it over a hundred times. "Did you find anything?" Dad asked Uncle Sam._

 _"I think so," Uncle Sam said, passing a paper over to Dad from the other side of the table. "A John Doe from nine years ago. The original coroner wanted the body sent to the CDC, but the coroner's new assistant 'accidentally' ordered the body to be burned."_

 _"New assistant?" Dad asked._

 _"Jennifer O'Brien," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Coroner's a hell of a cover for hiding kills," Dad said._

 _"Now get this," Uncle Sam said. He smiled a little since he knew Uncle Sam was on a roll now. "CDC never heard from Jennifer this time either. She faked the reports, burned the bodies to cover her tracks."_

 _"So why does she get sloppy again after nine years, start leaving bodies where they can be found?" Dad asked._

 _"Well, let's go ask her," Uncle Sam said. "According to this, she owns two pieces of property in town, one two-bedroom house about ten minutes from here, and an abandoned shipping warehouse."_

 _"Course she does," Dad grumbled. Dad sighed when he looked at him and his brother. "I don't suppose you two will just stay here, will you?"_

 _"No," he and Ben said at the same time._

 _"Alright, Sam, go get him some more pills and I'll get our gear," Dad said._

 _Dad got up, and then sat him on the chair again before he left the room. Ben waited until Uncle Sam left too before he asked, "You sure you won't just stay here? I'll stay here with you. Neither of us have to go."_

 _"Charlie's in trouble, so we need to help," Alec said._

 _"Dad and Uncle Sam could help her," Ben pointed out._

 _"Look, Uncle Sam's sick," Alec said. "Dad needs backup and between me and Uncle Sam being sick, I figure if me, you, and Uncle Sam are there, then Dad should be ok."_

 _"Alright," Ben said._

 _Dad still wasn't happy when he came back, but he didn't try to convince them to stay again. It didn't take them long to find the creepy warehouse that the coroner lady owned, and they were quick to gear up since they didn't know what they would be walking into. Dad motioned for him and Ben to follow him while Uncle Sam searched the other side of the warehouse._

 _"Charlie," Ben whispered, pointing over to where Charlie was, slumped over in a chair._

 _They ran over to her, and Dad gently shook her shoulder to try to get her to wake up. "Charlie! Hey! Hey, Charlie!"_

 _Dad tried to get Charlie to wake up for a few more seconds, but then he heard Uncle Sam grunt from somewhere in the warehouse and quickly tugged on Dad's jacket. "Uncle Sam's in trouble," he whispered._

 _"Stay here," Dad ordered, taking off to try to help Uncle Sam._

 _He was itching to run after his Dad, but he knew that would be a bad idea. Dad would definitely ground him if he did that, and he would probably screw up the hunt. He didn't want to screw everything up, so he stayed with Ben, alert to anything that could be coming their way. He started to move when it was starting to be too long, but Ben grabbed his arm to keep him back._

 _"You ok?" Dad finally asked Uncle Sam._

 _"Where's Charlie?" Uncle Sam asked back._

 _"The boys are with her," Dad said. He ran at Dad when he finally walked over again and Dad picked him up and reassured, "We're ok. We're just gonna give Charlie the antidote, and then we'll go home." Dad walked back over to Charlie and grabbed Ben's hand on the way by. "Sammy, you got the antidote?" Dad asked._

 _"Yeah," Uncle Sam said. His Uncle walked over with a syringe and injected it into Charlie._

 _The four of them waited for Charlie to wake up, but nothing happened. "What the hell's going on?" Dad asked._

 _"I don't know," Uncle Sam said. "Different Djinn, maybe she needs a different antidote?"_

 _"Charlie?" Dad asked. Dad let go of Ben's hand to put his hand against Charlie's forehead. "She's burning up, man, we're not letting her turn to Jell-O."_

 _"Ok, ok, uh…ok, Djinn poison puts your brain in something like a feedback loop while your blood boils, right?" Uncle Sam asked, thinking out loud._

 _"Right," Dad agreed._

 _"Um, if the antidote didn't break the loop, then maybe we can find a way to break it from the inside," Uncle Sam said. "I mean, if Djinn take you to your happy place, your happy place is like a dream…"_

 _"African dream root," Dad and Uncle Sam said at the same time._

 _Uncle Sam took off for the car, and Dad slowly put him back down. "Dad?" Ben asked. They were both confused because they didn't know what African dream root was._

 _"We think Charlie's stuck in a dream," Dad explained. "I'm gonna take some stuff, so I can get into her dream and try to wake her up."_

 _"I don't really like this plan…" Alec whispered._

 _Dad knelt down in front of him and Ben, "I know this doesn't sound good, but I gotta get Charlie back. She'll die if we don't get her back."_

 _"Ok," he said._

 _Uncle Sam ran back in with a jar, and Dad stood up to put stuff in the jar. "Alright, let's do this," Dad said, winking over at him and Ben. Dad drank what was in the jar, making a disgusted face until it was gone. "Ok…alright, I'm gonna need to go to sleep fast, so, punch me." He and Ben shared a look before they both looked at their Dad like he was crazy. Uncle Sam was giving him the same look. "Look, man, I know you don't want to, ok-" Uncle Sam suddenly punched Dad, making him stagger backwards, but he didn't get knocked out. "Well, you're a little off your game there, cause I was…that was pretty-"_

 _Uncle Sam punched Dad again, and this time he knocked him out. Dad fell, and Ben quickly blurred to the empty chair and moved it so Dad would land on it instead of the floor. "Good save, buddy," Uncle Sam said._

 _"How long will it take?" Alec asked, looking up at his Uncle._

 _"I don't know, Alec," Uncle Sam said. "But if you need to sit down, we can find another chair."_

 _"I'm ok," Alec said._

 _Uncle Sam started coughing, but he and Ben looked up at the same time, hearing something else in the warehouse. "What is it?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"There's something else in here," Ben said._

 _The three of them all looked at the same time when a kid walked out and said, "You killed my Mom."_

 _The Djinn ran at them, and unfortunately, he was the closest. The Djinn easily knocked him off his feet, causing him to smack his head against the floor. Ben ran over and tried to punch the Djinn, but he was thrown across the room. Uncle Sam was taken down next, and it was sad how easy this monster was getting the jump on them._

 _"So, it wasn't your Mom who messed up," Uncle Sam said to distract the Djinn. "It was you."_

 _"Shut up!" The Djinn yelled, punching Sam in the face. Ben came out of nowhere again, but the Djinn was ready and threw him back to the ground. "I just came of age, I had to feed. I screwed up," the djinn said, stalking over to Ben, knowing who he needed to take out first since Ben wasn't hurt like he and Sam were. "Mom knew how to cover her tracks. She always told me not to play with my food."_

 _He got a suddenly burst of adrenaline when the Djinn reached for his brother, his hand glowing blue. He wasn't going to let this monster hurt his brother, he couldn't. His family was all he had; he couldn't lose them. He blurred over to the Djinn, and then said, "You should've listened to your Mom." The Djinn spun around in surprise, and he stabbed it with his knife. The Djinn froze, and then the light slowly left his eyes as he died._

 _Uncle Sam gently gripped his shoulders and pulled him away from the dead monster, and then reached over to help Ben up. "You two ok?" Uncle Sam asked, looking them over. They both nodded, so Uncle Sam led them over to where Dad and Charlie were again. "You two sit down, ok?" Uncle Sam said, kissing the top of his head before he kissed the top of Ben's head. "Just sit tight, ok? It won't be too much longer…"_

 _Uncle Sam didn't sound sure, but Ben grabbed his arm before he could call him on it and forced him to sit down. He didn't want to sit here while Dad was still stuck and Charlie could be dying, but there wasn't a lot they could do now._

 _"I wish we were back at the bunker," he whispered._

 _"We'll go back soon," Ben reassured. His brother was quiet for a few minutes, and they both watched Dad to see if he was going to wake up soon. "I thought it was gonna get me," Ben admitted._

 _"I'm glad it didn't. I would've had to get into your dream or whatever to wake you up if it had," he tried to tease. Ben looked distraught, so he quickly said, "Ben, it's ok, it didn't get you, so it's ok."_

 _"I know where I would've been, and I don't want you there," Ben stated._

 _"Where?" Alec asked._

 _"Purgatory," Ben whispered._

 _"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Alec said. Last time he tried to get answers out of Ben, it didn't turn out so well. He didn't want to have a repeat even though he knew Ben wouldn't hurt him. "I don't talk about things either, so it's ok."_

 _"It was scary," Ben said. "Monsters were everywhere…We were so tired, and I didn't think it was ever going to end…"_

 _"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should've found a way to get you out."_

 _"It's not your fault," Ben said._

 _"I know where I would've been if it had gotten to me," he said, looking away from his brother. He never talked about this, but maybe it would help. Maybe he could talk to Ben about it. They were both scared of things, so maybe they could help each other. He loved his brother, and he trusted him, maybe he could help him with this._

 _Ben looked over at him in surprise, since he didn't ever talk about this or even hint at it, but he didn't get a chance to say anything else because Dad was starting to wake up. They both looked over and Uncle Sam gently shook Dad's shoulder. "Dean? Dean. Hey, hey!" Dad looked around in confusion but relaxed a little when he saw Uncle Sam. "C'mere," Uncle Sam said, helping Dad up. "You ok? What happened?"_

 _"I'm ok," Dad reassured. He looked over at them to make sure they were ok before he looked at Charlie, who was awake now, but she didn't look like herself. "Charlie?" Charlie slowly looked up at Dad, but she looked so sad. "I'm sorry. I had to," Dad said. He helped Charlie up, and she started crying, so Dad hugged her close to let her cry, just like he did when he or Ben were upset._

 _"Do you wanna talk about it?" Ben asked softly. "We can talk before Dad comes over here."_

 _"No," he said. He didn't want Ben to feel bad for what had happened to him, so he wouldn't talk about it. He didn't really think it would help anyway, so he would just keep it to himself. "Let's go make sure Charlie's ok."_

* * *

 _"Dad said he'd get us some video games, so next time you come over we can play," Alec said, walking next to Charlie, nearly bouncing with energy like the last few days had never happened. He was glad his little boy was feeling better, but he was always going to worry about the seizures. "Right Dad?" Alec asked, looking over at him._

 _"Yeah kiddo," Dean said. "I'm working on a TV and whatever games I can find."_

 _"See," Alec said. "So next time we can play games and watch movies and we can go LARPing again."_

 _"Yeah, we really want to go LARPing again," Ben agreed._

 _He silently vowed that they would go LARPing again. His boys wanted to go, so he was going to make it happen. He didn't want the boys to be hunters, but it was going to be impossible to go back now. Ben had told him that he'd almost gotten put into his own dream, and he'd admitted that he was afraid he was going to go back to Purgatory and that he was going to accidently hurt his brother. He'd held his boys all night last night because of this hunt. They'd both refused to go to their room and had followed him to his room instead. Alec had instantly fallen asleep, and then that was when Ben started talking. But now it was like none of that had ever happened. Alec was running around, just like he always did, and Ben was smiling more today than he'd seen for a long time. He knew the boys wished Charlie could stay longer, but she said she needed to take care of some things._

 _"Of course," Charlie agreed with a smile. "I need my two loyal knights by my side for the big battle."_

 _Alec beamed, and then suggested, "We should get some horses! That'll really blow 'em away! And we could ride in, like in Lord of the Rings, and we could just take 'em all out!"_

 _"Alright, slow down, kiddo," Dean said, grabbing his little boy so he could mess up his hair. "No way are we riding horses. We're Winchesters, we ride Steel Horses, like Baby."_

 _"I can ride a horse," Alec stated._

 _"Unfair advantage," Dean said since bringing the Impala into the argument hadn't helped._

 _"The other team could have horses too, that's not unfair," Alec said._

 _"No horses," Dean stated._

 _"But Dad!" Alec whined._

 _"No horses," Dean said again, trying to hide his smile._

 _"We'll see," Charlie said, giving Alec a wink._

 _"Do you really have to go?" Ben asked. "We could have Dad go get the TV and video games now."_

 _"I've got more stops to make, little dudes," Charlie said. "But I'll be back again." Sam walked over with Charlie's bag and put it in her car for her. "But thanks…for saving our bacon."_

 _"Any time, your Highness," Sam said._

 _"You know you're gonna be ok, right? If anyone can get through the trials, Sam, it's you," Charlie said._

 _"Thanks," Sam replied. "You know, you really should come back and dig through our archives. You are definitely a Woman of Letters."_

 _"I like the sound of that," Charlie said, giving Sam a hug._

 _The boys gave her a hug too, and then ran after their Uncle as he walked back into the bunker. He waited until they were all inside before he said, "Well, thanks for stopping by, Charlie. Always wanted to get Tron'ed. What's next for you?"_

 _"Gonna go by the hospital," Charlie said. "Gotta let go, right?" He nodded even though he definitely wasn't going to take his own advice. He couldn't let Sam go, or his boys. His family was his everything. "What about you, you gonna let it go?"_

 _"Never," he said with a small smile._

 _"That's my boys," Charlie said. "I love you."_

 _"I know," he replied. He pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her head. He wished she could stay longer, but he knew she was going to go see her Mom and say goodbye. Charlie waved once she got into her car, and he waved back, hoping she would really visit again soon._

 _He watched her drive away, and then slowly walked back into the bunker. The boys were playing under their fort again, but Sam was looking through something. His brother looked up when he walked in and quickly tried to explain, "Ok, look, you were right, I should've laid low, I…I know, I should've hung back, but I'm glad I was able to-"_

 _He grabbed his brother and pulled him in to a hug to stop his rambling. And because he wasn't going to lose his brother. "What d'you say we find our prophet?"_

 _Sam looked confused when he let him go, but he nodded, "Um, yeah, ok."_

 _He nodded, and then walked over to the fort. He smirked over at Sam before he yelled and 'attacked' their fort. He smiled as his two little boys ran out of their fort screaming, taking off down the hall. "I'll help you start looking in a minute!" he yelled back to Sam as he chased after his boys. He followed their laughter, enjoying this brief chance to be a normal family._

* * *

Present

"Go," Ben said once they heard the distinct sounds of a fight starting. His brother tried to help him walk, but the adrenaline was flowing, so he pulled away slightly. Ben didn't look happy, but he knew he would have to fight if the demons spotted them. If he could stand on his own, then he needed to do it. He wasn't going to be the reason Ben got hurt, or even died. They were in this together, but if only one of them was going to make it out of this alive, then it was going to be Ben.

He and his brother ran into the Throne Room, sneaking around in the shadows. The demons were all watching as Crowley and Ketch took on Asmodeus. He smirked as Ben pickpocketed a demon, stealing the angel blade he was carrying. Ben glanced over at him, and then rolled his eyes seeing his proud smirk.

They peeked through the bars of the cages that lined the room, and he was thankful to note that this room didn't look anything like the room he'd been kept in by Crowley. He hadn't known if he'd been in hell or not, and he'd never asked Dad to find out where he'd been kept. But so far, he didn't see anyone that looked like Gabriel.

He shrugged at Ben, silently telling him that he didn't recognize anyone. They reluctantly walked closer to where the demons and Ketch were fighting, so he could get a look at the cages closest to the throne. He frowned when he saw the huddled form, wearing a tattered rag, hiding in the corner of his cage. "You think that could be him?" Alec asked.

"How should I know?" Ben asked, annoyed. "I've never met the guy."

"Touchy," he mumbled.

"Alec, talk to him," Ben said. His brother looked around, and then pulled him further into the shadows. "We don't have a lot of time here…"

"Help me sit down," Alec whispered.

"Alec…"

"I know it's not a good idea, but I gotta sit down," he admitted. Ben didn't look happy, but he did help him sit down. He breathed out in relief once he was sitting, and then looked over at who he thought could be Gabriel. But now he wasn't so sure. The guy looked terrified, his mouth was sewn shut, he was filthy, and he refused to move from where he was. "Hey, are you Gabriel?" he asked.

"You still don't know?" Ben hissed.

"Dude, I was nine," he shot back.

"Yeah, a nine-year-old with a photographic memory," Ben said.

"He looks different, ok?" He saw that Gabriel was peeking over at him, but just barely. He wasn't sure if the guy recognized his voice or just thought he might be able to get him out of here. "Hey, it's Alec, remember?" he asked. "Little baby Alec?" He waited to see if it would click, but Gabriel just hid from him again.

"Is that it?" Ben asked.

"What am I supposed to do?" Alec grumbled. "I barely know the guy."

"We're on a timetable here," Ben said, looking around again. "It doesn't sound like our side is winning…"

"Alec Winchester," he said, trying again even though he didn't think this was going to work. "C'mon, you trapped me in TV land with my Dad…Dean Winchester…" Gabriel barely looked up at him again before he looked back down. "You got any better ideas?" he asked his brother.

"Hey, um, my name's Ben. You don't know me, but you helped save my brother a long time ago," Ben said.

"It wasn't that long ago," he said with a scowl.

Ben glared at him before he looked back at Gabriel. "Look, it's ok if you don't remember Alec. The thing is, we need your help. You can get us out of here. You can get yourself out of here. You can stop the torture if you just figure out how to do your angel thing again."

"You're not helping," he pointed out when Gabriel moved further away from them. "At least when I talk to him, he doesn't hide some more."

"Shut up, Alec," Ben snapped.

"You shut up," he quickly shot back.

"Why don't you both shut up," another voice said right before the demon slammed Ben against the bars of the cage.

He tried to grab the blade that had fallen out of Ben's hand, but the demon threw his hand out, and he went flying. He hit one of the pillars and slid down in a heap. He gasped and tried to draw in more air, but he was definitely down one lung now. He saw Ben get up and try to fight the demon, but the demon grabbed his brother's arm and snapped his bones. He struggled to get up, but he couldn't breathe. The room was starting to black out around the edges, but he forced himself to stay conscious. He didn't need to breathe, not yet at least.

He somehow got to his feet, and then he staggered towards his brother. The demon was choking him, killing his brother. Ben barely looked over at him, and then down at the floor. He fell again when he looked down, but he grabbed the angel blade that had fallen out of Ben's hand. Ben kicked the demon back, so he tossed the sword up, knowing his brother was ready for it. Even with his broken arm, and probably barely breathing himself, Ben still managed to kill the demon that had attacked them.

Too bad it wasn't the only one.

He was gasping for air as another demon grabbed him and started to drag him away. He managed to look over at Gabriel and tried to beg him to help them. He had to look away when he heard Ben cry out in pain. His eyes filled with tears and he tried to call out to his brother when Asmodeus walked over and stabbed him. Ben fell over, blood pooling under him, but he was still alive even if he was just barely alive. Ben gave him a small smile as he tried to hold on to life.

"You…son of a bitch," he forced out.

"What did you say, boy?" Asmodeus asked, walking over to him.

"You're a…s-son of a bitch," he said.

"I guess you want to join your brother," Asmodeus said, slicing him across his chest with the blade. He sagged down, but the demon keeping him slightly upright refused to let him go. "You Winchesters are tougher than you look," Asmodeus said, looking at him. "Maybe I won't kill you after all…"

"No," he breathed, struggling to get to his brother. Ben was barely breathing now, and he couldn't live without his brother. He'd already lost his Dad and his Uncle; he couldn't lose Ben. If Ben was gone, he wanted to go too. He wasn't going to be trapped in a cage and tortured while Ben was dead. They were going out at the same time.

"Set you up in a nice cell," Asmodeus said. "You'll make a nice addition to my collection."

He somehow managed to throw off the demon holding him, and then he kicked out as hard as he could. He smirked when Asmodeus staggered, clutching at his shattered knee. The demon's eyes glowed with fury as he stormed over to him, blade raised for the kill. His smirk never faltered even though he knew he was about to die.

He was blasted over to the side suddenly, and everything went black.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	23. Chapter 23

_Sorry for the long wait, but this chapter is pretty long so I hope that helps make up for it. The flashback this chapter is from Season 10. Hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 23

Present

Everything seemed like it was in slow motion. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He was dying. He was lying on the ground, dying. But he didn't want to die. Alec looked over at him, and he fought to stay alive just a little longer. His brother would get himself killed if he died. He didn't want to die, but more than anything, he needed Alec to live. But Alec could tell he was dying, and his brother was going to make it his mission to get himself killed with him. He felt terrible. Alec was going to die. He was going to die. Dad was going to get back and both his kids would be dead.

He tried to reach out when Asmodeus started to bring the blade down on his brother. He felt his vision start to go out, but he had to be there for his brother. Alec hated being alone, so he couldn't leave him now. He wished Alec would look over again, but he stared steadily back at Asmodeus, challenging him until the end.

The blade was just about to kill Alec when there was a blast. The blast knocked Alec to the side, and his head hit the concrete with a sickening thunk. He barely managed to look away from Alec to see someone else walk over to Asmodeus. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but then the lights flashed. He squinted against the sudden light, but he couldn't block out the sight of angel wings. Gabriel.

Alec had gotten through to him. The archangel was back, it had to be him. Asmodeus was shaking his head no and backing away from Gabriel, afraid. Ok, so, maybe he and Alec were going to die, but at least this asshole was going to die too. One less thing for Dad and Uncle Sam to worry about when they made it back from wherever they were. He just wished he could've seen them one more time. He slowly blinked at Asmodeus went up in flames. His white suit was gonna look stupid now. He smiled a little thinking about Alec saying that to him if he was here with him now.

Gabriel spun around once the demon was gone and scanned the rest of the room. He huffed a little when he saw them, and then walked over to him. Gabriel put two fingers on his forehead, and he gasped as white-hot pain shot through him. He barely saw Crowley start over to them, but Ketch held him back. They both looked a little worse for wear, but they were alive. He cried out in pain as he felt his bones snap back together.

"Easy, easy," Gabriel soothed. "Deep breaths, ok?" He whimpered and tried to curl up, but Gabriel kept him where he was. "Don't try to move. I've healed your wounds, but your body is different than a normal human, so I'm not sure what's happening."

"It hurts," he breathed.

Gabriel made a sympathetic face before he asked, "That's Alec over there, right?" He nodded and tears filled his eyes at the sight of his little brother. "Don't move. I'll help Alec," Gabriel said. He ignored the angel and drug himself over to his brother, ignoring his own pain. Alec was about to be in an extreme amount of pain, and he was going to be there for him. Gabriel put two fingers on Alec's forehead, closing his eyes to concentrate. Alec cried out as his bones were put back together, and then looked around in panic. "It's ok," Gabriel soothed. "Everything's ok."

"Ben?" Alec asked, looking for him. He quickly grabbed his brother's hand to reassure him that he was ok. "What the hell?" Alec breathed.

"Gabriel healed us," Ben whispered.

"Hurts…It never looked like it hurt Dad," Alec said.

"Don't try to move," Ben said. "Hurts worse when you do that." He smiled a little when Alec looked at him with concern. "Gabriel killed Asmodeus. It worked."

"Holy crap," Alec breathed. "Dad is gonna kill us…" He kept one hand on Alec's chest to keep him down while he looked around the room. He didn't think they had to move fast since they had Gabriel on their side again, but he didn't know that for sure. It looked like Crowley was taking control, so they had time to recuperate for a minute. "Gabriel…you broke the big rule," Alec said. "Why? Why'd you save us?"

"You think I don't remember you?" Gabriel asked. "Little baby Alec."

Alec groaned, "I'm 17 now."

"Looks like you grew up too," Gabriel said. "Feel better yet?"

"Yeah," Alec said before he looked at him. "Let me up. I'm good."

He helped Alec sit up, definitely noticing his wince as he slowly moved, but he didn't call him on it. He was still hurting, so he knew Alec was still hurting. "Now what?"

"Go home…call Rowena, and then get Dad back," Alec said.

"What if she doesn't know," Ben asked.

"Dude, let's take the win," Alec said. "And as much as I don't want to trust Crowley or Ketch, we don't know what we need to get them back, or what we're even walking into. Dad's gonna be mad enough as it is, might as well make it worse."

"Whatever it takes to get them back," Ben said, agreeing with his brother.

"Looks like I've got some catching up to do," Gabriel said.

"You're sticking around, right?" Alec asked. "Wait, you didn't answer my question. Why'd you break the 'big rule' that even Cas won't break?"

"Figured I owed you two for rescuing me," Gabriel said. "Besides, I'm an archangel…what're they gonna do to me? I can break the rules, trust me."

"Well…thanks," Alec said.

They looked up when Crowley suddenly walked over to them, and Alec quickly scooted away from the demon. He tried to move in front of Alec to protect him as much as he could, but they were both sitting on the floor still, so there weren't a lot of options for them. Gabriel stood up though, sensing the fact that Alec was starting to freak out.

"Relax, I'm an ally," Crowley said.

"I don't think so," Gabriel said.

"No, he helped us," Ben said before Gabriel could take Crowley out. He would have loved nothing more than to take out Crowley, but they still needed him. "We still need him."

"Alright, you two better start talking," Gabriel said.

"Scratch that," Crowley said before they could explain. Crowley snapped, and then they were all suddenly outside of the bunker. He quickly scrambled to his feet, and then reached down to help his brother up. "If the chipmunks would kindly let us in, we can talk business."

"Call Rowena," Ben said. "We're not letting anyone in until she gets here."

Crowley looked like this was a huge inconvenience for him before he snapped again and disappeared, leaving him, Alec, Gabriel, and Ketch outside. "Dad is so gonna kill us…" Alec muttered. Ketch was still within earshot, but he was planning on ignoring him until he couldn't anymore.

"At least Gabriel is with us now," Ben said.

"Yeah, about that, how are you even alive?" Alec asked, turning to Gabriel. "We watched that porno you gave us, and Dad said you died. Lucifer killed you."

Gabriel laughed, "I can't believe they let you watch that. You were what? Six?"

"No, I was nine," Alec replied. "I told you that like 20 times."

"Six, nine, either way, they shouldn't have watched that with you," Gabriel said with a smile. "That makes it even better."

"Can you get back to the part about how you're alive?" Alec growled. He smiled, and really tried not to laugh since this whole conversation was funny, but Alec just glared at him. He bumped his shoulder against his brother's, just happy that he was still alive. Alec immediately stopped glaring at him and smiled a little bit instead, probably thinking that it was a miracle they were both still alive.

"You really think Luci has anything on my brains?" Gabriel asked, making his eyebrows jump up and down. Gabriel rolled his eyes since neither of them laughed at his dumb joke, so he said, "Ok, fine. Looks like Sam's rubbed off more on you than Dean." Alec started to move to maybe hit Gabriel for saying that, but he just held his brother back and glared at Gabriel to keep him talking. "Fine. My brother stabbed a fake. There are plenty of them to go around, so everyone believed I was dead. So, what did I do?" He waited and looked at them expectantly, thinking they were going to answer.

"How the hell should we know?" Alec snapped.

"What Alec means to say is that we were asking _you_ , so there's no reason for us to really know the answer," Ben said. They couldn't make Gabriel mad since they still needed his help.

"You two are way too tense right now," Gabriel said.

"Yeah, well, our Dad and Uncle are missing, probably dying, and we're busy here doing nothing," Alec growled. He put his hand on Alec's arm to try to calm him down. They were so close, he knew they were, but they needed to be patient just a little while longer.

"I moved to Monte Carlo," Gabriel said. "And I'll leave out the extracurriculars since you're probably still too young for that kind of talk."

"Hookers?" Ben asked. He thought it was possible since Alec had maybe watched a porn movie or something with Dad and Uncle Sam. Maybe he didn't need to know everything that had happened when Alec had first found them.

"Porn stars," Gabriel corrected with a smirk. "But long story short, Asmodeus got his hands on me and decided torture was the way to go."

"Well…that sucks," Alec stated bluntly. He rolled his eyes and shook his head since his brother had absolutely no tact at all.

"Is that your expert opinion?" Gabriel asked with a scowl.

"As someone who's been kept in a cell and tortured, yeah, that's my expert opinion," Alec snapped.

Gabriel looked at Alec as if trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not, but then nodded, "Ok, so your turn. What happened to Sam and Dean?"

"Hello boys," Rowena said before they could tell Gabriel what happened. The two of them quickly spun around to see Rowena and Crowley standing there.

"Hi Rowena," Alec said. His brother actually liked Rowena, but that was probably because they shared an extreme hatred for Crowley. And she liked to dote on Alec since she said he was the cutest of them all, which always made him roll his eyes because he and Alec were identical and they were Dad's clones, so if Alec was cute, then they were all cute, but Rowena had a soft spot for Alec.

"What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?" Rowena asked.

"Before you start this lengthy tale, might I suggest we go inside?" Ketch said.

"Fine," Ben said. "But don't touch anything."

He started to walk down to the door, and Alec stayed next to him every step of the way. "I'm already starting to regret this…" Alec muttered.

"Whatever it takes to get them back, right?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, you're right," Alec said.

* * *

 _2015_

 _The boys would barely leave Dean's side since they'd found them again. The two of them had been way too skinny, and he'd felt terrible that he hadn't been able to find them sooner. But Dean was glad that the boys hadn't been there to see him as a demon. He still wished he could have found them sooner. Alec was a lot more skittish now, and it was difficult to get Ben to be by himself longer than the amount of time it took to take a shower. He knew they didn't want to be found, but he was the adult, he should have taken care of them._

 _"C'mon boys," Dean said, pulling into the next parking lot for a restaurant. "Let's get some food."_

 _"Not hungry," Ben muttered._

 _"I'm good," Alec said almost at the same time as Ben._

 _"That wasn't up for discussion," Dean said, glancing back at his twin boys. "You two are still underweight."_

 _"We're lean," Alec corrected. "We're not underweight."_

 _"I could see your ribs when I was patching you up, kiddo," Dean said. "You're underweight until I say otherwise, which means, you're gonna stuff your face until I say you can go back to eating whatever you want."_

 _"And you two used to always be hungry, so you're really worrying us by not wanting to eat," he threw in to help back up his brother._

 _"Now's a good time to stretch your legs anyway," Dean said._

 _The boys still grumbled, but they did get out of the car to follow them inside. It wasn't like they would stay in the car by themselves anyway, so maybe next time they should just get out and go and they would just follow them._

 _He grabbed a paper on the way over to the table, and then sat across from Dean. They needed another hunt, so they could keep their minds off of everything else that had happened. He didn't want to think about Dean still having the Mark of Cain or about what the boys had gone through while he couldn't find them. They needed something to do._

 _"You can get whatever you want," Dean said. "Even ice cream for dinner if you want it."_

 _"Dean," he said, glaring at his brother. He tried so hard to get the boys to eat vegetables, but now Dean was giving them whatever they wanted just to try to make things up to them. How was he ever going to get them to eat vegetables again?_

 _"If it gets them to eat, then who cares what it is," Dean grumbled. He sighed because Dean was right, and the boys needed to eat. If they would eat ice cream, then he would try not to throw a fit. He could let the boys have whatever they wanted for a little while. At least until they looked a little less terrified that Dean was going to disappear again._

 _"I'm still not hungry," Ben muttered._

 _"Ben, just try to eat somethin', ok buddy?" Dean asked, trying not to sound exhausted, but he was. He knew Dean was exhausted from catching up on everything, dealing with the Mark of Cain, and worrying about the boys. Maybe hunting right now wasn't a great idea, but he didn't know what else to do. He knew his brother needed to get his mind on something else and hunting usually helped get him out of a mood. The boys were the same way, so if he could just find a fairly simple hunt, then maybe he could help his whole family._

 _Alec and Ben both ordered something, but Alec ordered a sandwich and no fries, while Ben ordered soup. Both orders were very weird for the twins, but at least they were trying. He knew they had to steal food while they were gone, and what they could steal probably wasn't that nutritious and it definitely wasn't as much as what they needed on a daily basis. He was surprised that Alec hadn't already had a seizure from the lack of food, but he knew he was still taking his pills. He had almost hoped that one of the boys would get seizures while they were gone, so maybe they'd have to go to the hospital, and he could find them and make them come home. He hadn't wanted to hope for his nephews to have seizures, but he'd nearly gone crazy looking for them._

 _Dean got on his phone while they waited for their food and he looked through the paper. Alec rested his head on the table, and even though they looked like they'd never been out in public when he did that, he didn't tell him to sit up because at least he was inside, and he was with them and he was ok. Ben was sort of staring off into space again, but he didn't snap him out of it since he was here, and he was trying. It had just been the two of them for so long, they probably just got used to not talking much. He could hardly imagine Alec not talking a lot, but since they'd found them, Alec had been a lot quieter than he used to be._

 _"Alright, how 'bout this," Sam said, feeling like he had to say something to break the silence. He didn't think this was anything, but he couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Um, cattle deaths a few towns over? A demon possibility or something?"_

 _"No, I read that one and it says right there," Dean said. "It's probably just 'cause of the drought."_

 _He sighed but didn't say anything since the food had just gotten there. He waited until the waitress left again before he asked, "So, what are we doing here?"_

 _Dean looked pointedly at his plate and pointed with his fork, "Uh, reason's right on your plate. Lizardo's porterhouse-U.S.D.A. prime," Dean said. His brother's phone dinged, but he ignored it. "It's the only place between Connecticut and the bunker you can get a decent steak under 10 bucks."_

 _Dean's phone went off again, but Dean still didn't move to look at it. "Dude, you are blowing up. Who is that?" Sam asked._

 _Dean huffed and grabbed his phone, "Ah, it's just, uh, you know, these alert thingies."_

 _"For what?" he asked._

 _"You know, monster…stuff," Dean replied. He rolled his eyes and looked over at Alec to see if any part of this conversation was interesting to him. He smiled a little when his nephew glanced over at him with a familiar mischievous smirk. He barely nodded back, so Alec quickly snatched Dean's phone and tossed it over to him. "Hey, hey. Nuh-uh," Dean said, reaching out for his phone. "No. Give it back."_

 _He could tell Dean was surprised that Alec was actually acting like himself, but he still wasn't going to let him look at his phone. And he thought about giving it back, but both boys were now interested in what was going on, and his brother shouldn't be this insistent on getting his phone back. "What? Why?" Sam asked, pulling the phone closer to himself._

 _"Because privacy…and stuff," Dean said, sounding incredibly lame._

 _He rolled his eyes and looked down at Dean's phone. He was surprised to see a fairly decent picture of his brother, which begged the question of who he had gotten to take it, with the caption 'Impala67' on it. Below that it said:_

 _Dean Winchester_

 _Age: 35 years old_

 _Location: Lebanon, Kansas United States_

 _Seeking: Woman_

 _Status: Never Married_

 _Kids: 2 teenage boys_

 _About: Rolling through, no strings attached_

 _"You're on a dating app?" he asked with a frown. His brother still had one-night stands, but he didn't have them as often since he had the boys. And he hadn't had any since he'd gotten him back from being a demon. He didn't think this was a good idea. Ben and Alec wouldn't be able to handle their Dad leaving for any amount of time. He seriously hoped Dean wasn't going to go through with this, but he wasn't sure how to put a stop to it if he was. Dean needed to let loose, so if getting laid helped him, then he couldn't be the one to stop him. Plus, he didn't want the boys to possibly get hurt because of the Mark. But they were going to be hurt if Dean ditched them for a few hours._

 _Alec and Ben both looked over at Dean with alarm, but Dean either didn't notice or he really needed this. He was guessing it was the latter because Dean noticed just about everything that was going on with his boys. "Yeah, and you know what? Don't knock it until you try it," Dean muttered._

 _"Nice screen name, Dean," he said, trying to find a way to get the twins to at least smile a little bit. "Impala67," he said dramatically. The boys didn't even smirk. He hated this. He could figure out that Dean needed this, but how was he going to get the boys to understand?_

 _"Alright, give it back," Dean said, reaching for his phone again. But he wasn't done with it yet. He was still looking at his brother's profile and the girl he'd been talking to._

 _"Shaylene, huh?" he said. He kept scrolling but the messages seemed to go on forever. "Dean, there are like a million messages here…"_

 _"Yeah, uh, check out her pic," Dean said._

 _"Uh…Oh. Wow. Ok," he said. She was beautiful in her picture, but his brother wasn't up on the whole app thing. He probably didn't even know that most people lied about who they were on the internet. Maybe this was a good time to bring up safety on the internet. The boys could probably benefit from that talk even though they both probably knew more about it than Dean did. "Um, ok. She's hot. But…"_

 _"But what?" Dean asked with a scowl._

 _Maybe he shouldn't try to ruin this for his brother. He didn't want to ruin it, but Dean should be kept as safe as he could be but finding out that this girl probably wasn't the girl in the picture was just being mean. But Dean probably shouldn't get his hopes up about this girl. With a sigh he decided he should just rip off the Band-Aid, "You realize there's no guarantee 'Shaylene' is even Shaylene. I mean, for all you know, it could be some…Canadian trucker named Bruce."_

 _His jaw nearly dropped when he spotted a very hot woman who looked exactly like Shaylene's picture. Dean turned to look before he turned back and smirked at him. "That look like a Bruce to you?" Dean started to get up, but both boys made a small sound of distress. Dean immediately turned back and said, "Hey, it's ok. I'm just gonna be gone for a little while, and then I'm comin' right back, ok?"_

 _"Dad…" Ben said, tears filling his eyes._

 _Dean looked to him, silently begging him to understand. He knew Dean needed this, but he wasn't going to leave his boys if they needed him more. "He's probably just going next door," Sam said to try to reassure the boys. "We can finish eating, and then we'll be all together again in no time." The boys didn't say anything else, and he knew Dean was about to just call the whole thing off, but he nodded for him to go. "It'll be alright," he said, keeping his voice soft._

 _"I'll be back in no time," Dean said, standing up again before he leaned over and gently kissed the side of Ben's head. Alec refused to even look at either of them while Ben kept his eyes trained on his Dad. Hopefully Dean would get this all out of his system, and then they could hit the road again._

 _"Try to eat something," Sam said, just because he needed to say something now that Dean wasn't even in the restaurant anymore. "We'll hit the road as soon as he gets back, ok?"_

 _"I'm not hungry," Ben mumbled. Alec just leaned forward and rested against the table again._

 _"Your Dad just needs some…stress relief…that's all," Sam said. "He'll probably only be gone an hour and that's it."_

 _"Why did he even bother to look for us if he was gonna ditch us right after we get back?" Alec asked, still refusing to look at him._

 _"Alec," he said with a sigh. "He's not ditching you. He's not ditching any of us. And if you take off right now, then he's gonna be pretty upset when he finds out."_

 _"Well maybe this time he shouldn't come lookin'," Alec said._

 _"Alright look," he said, kicking at Alec's chair to get his attention. His nephew looked up in surprise, which quickly turned to guilt. He didn't want to yell at Alec, but he wasn't going to let him run away again. And he couldn't let him think that Dean was ditching them. If Dean didn't need to do this, then he would still be in that seat with them. He looked to make sure Ben was paying attention too before he said, "Your Dad still has the Mark of Cain, which means he needs some way to relieve stress. He would never forgive himself if he did something to either of you, so he needs to let off steam in whatever way works. If he didn't have to leave right now, then he wouldn't. And Alec, I swear if you take off again, then you'll get more than a stern talking-to from your Dad when we find you again. I tried to find you as soon as I knew you had taken off. You do that to me again, I'm gonna be pissed, ok?" He maybe sounded a little too much like his own Dad, but he had to make sure Alec knew that he wasn't ok with him taking off. He knew it had been Alec's idea to run away, and he was thankful that Ben went to look after his brother, but he wasn't going to let them get away with it again._

 _"I'm sorry," Alec whispered._

 _He loved his nephews, but when Alec was really sorry for something he had done, it was nearly impossible to be mad at him. "Just…just please don't leave again," Sam said, reaching over to gently rub Alec's shoulder, but Alec practically flinched as he pulled away from him. He could see that Alec regretted it instantly, but he just looked away from him again._

 _He took a deep breath and was just about to reassure the boys that everything was still fine when his phone went off. He saw a text from Dean that showed a room number with the message 'We have a problem.'_

 _"You guys sure you won't eat anything?" Sam asked. The twins nodded, so he slowly got up, putting some money on the table as he did so. "Alright, c'mon, something's goin' on." The boys got up faster than he was expecting, but they probably knew it had something to do with their Dad. He just hoped he had gotten through to Alec about not leaving again._

* * *

 _Uncle Sam had tried to get them to wait outside as soon as he'd figured out what was going on since he didn't think they were old enough to understand. But he wasn't going to sit in the car while Dad and Uncle Sam took down a demon. He didn't know everything that had happened between Dad and Uncle Sam since they were keeping it from them, but he and his brother had been hunting the whole time. They should be there to at least back them up._

 _It was awkward to sit in the motel room with Dad and the woman he was going to have sex with. Uncle Sam thought they were too young to know about that kind of thing, but he'd only been 11 when Dad had accidentally had an Amazon daughter who had tried to kill him. Plus, he had known about sex since he was probably five or six. Manticore taught them everything, and Dad and Uncle Sam both forgot that he and his brother had been trained as soldiers since birth. They tried to protect them from things kids shouldn't know about, but most of the time, they already knew. But just because they knew what it was didn't mean they wanted to know_ everything.

 _Ben nudged him slightly, so he quickly looked over to make sure his brother was ok. It must have been an accident since he wasn't even looking at him. He was zoned out again, which was going to start being a problem. Ben couldn't zone out on a hunt because then he'd get hurt. He needed to make sure his brother was ok, but he couldn't do it around Dad or Uncle Sam. But Ben hardly ever left Dad's side. How was he supposed to talk to his brother if they were always around Dad and Uncle Sam?_

 _He perked up suddenly when he heard footsteps outside of the room. He grabbed Ben's arm and headed for the bathroom before Dad or Uncle Sam knew what was going on. Uncle Sam came in after them and they waited for whoever it was to come inside. Uncle Sam put his hand on his shoulder, and he couldn't help the flinch of surprise._

 _It had just been him and his brother for a long time, so he wasn't used to his Dad or Uncle giving him a pat on the back or rubbing his shoulder. Ben didn't like people touching him; he didn't need the physical contact like he did. He had gotten used to no one touching him, so it freaked him out when Uncle Sam touched his shoulder or Dad ruffled his hair. And he always felt bad when he did because he knew it hurt Dad and Uncle Sam when he flinched._

 _Uncle Sam immediately pulled his hand away from him, which made him feel guilty again for flinching_ again _, even though he knew Uncle Sam was just trying to give him comfort._

 _"How we doing?" A man asked as he walked into the hotel room. "Everybody ready for a good time?" He heard some paper rustling, and then the man said, "Ok. John Hancock right here. Then we can get this party started." The bed creaked as Dad must have stood up, and then Uncle Sam was pushing on his chest to keep him in the bathroom. He glared since Uncle Sam immediately left the room._

 _He shouldn't be mad that Dad and Uncle Sam were treating him and his brother like children, but he was. They had taken out entire nests of vampires and packs of werewolves without them for months. They could handle one little demon. And even though he knew Dad and Uncle Sam wanted them around, the unreasonable part of his brain, which told him that no one wanted him around, was telling him that they just wanted them to sit out because they were used to doing things without him or Ben around. And maybe they missed being without them. Why did it take them so long to come find them if they wanted them around? It wasn't like they were being super-sneaky with their hunts. If they really wanted to find them sooner, then they could have._

 _But he knew that wasn't true. Or, at least, it probably wasn't true. He thought Dad and Uncle Sam still wanted them around. Uncle Sam seemed pretty mad when he brought up leaving again._

 _"Winchesters," the man said as Uncle Sam walked into the room._

 _"You ok?" Ben asked softly as Dad and Uncle Sam talked to the demon. He glanced over at his brother briefly before he nodded. "Should I just pretend like I don't know you're lying?"_

 _"Why d'you think I'm lying?" he asked with a scowl._

 _"Well…because I know you," Ben said simply. He just stared at his brother, so he sighed before he continued, "Because if you were ok, then you would've ignored Uncle Sam and just followed him out there. And…" Ben glanced over to the left slightly, and he frowned when he realized that a tear had slipped down his cheek without him even noticing. He quickly wiped it away and just shrugged. "They want us around," Ben whispered, knowing him too well. "Dad and Uncle Sam. They want us to stay."_

 _"Why'd it take them so long to find us?" Alec asked even though he knew his brother wouldn't have the answer._

 _"Because we're good at covering our tracks," Ben replied, ready for his question._

 _"You know Uncle Sam could have found us if he wanted to," Alec said. "All those hunts…people had to hear about them…"_

 _"Uncle Sam said he was trying to find a way to get Dad back alive at the same time," Ben said. "Maybe it was hard to do both at the same time. Or, maybe he didn't really want to find us until he for sure had Dad back."_

 _"Then why don't they just tell us that," Alec asked. "Why are they hiding something from us?"_

 _"I don't know…maybe they just wanna make sure we won't take off again," Ben said._

 _"How come you keep zoning out?" Alec asked to find a way out of this conversation._

 _Ben quickly ducked his head before he admitted, "Because I'm not sure any of this is gonna last…"_

 _"You don't think they want us to stay either?" Alec accused._

 _"No…I don't…Dad's gonna be the one to leave us," Ben said. "He died. And he could die again…And Uncle Sam could die. And you could die. I don't think I can handle it…"_

 _"What makes you think I'm gonna die?" he asked with a smirk. "Because in case you forgot, I'm awesome. I'm not gonna die. At least not for a long time."_

 _"Alec…the seizures could kill you, that demon out there could kill you, a car accident could kill you…you're not invincible," Ben pointed out. "And neither is Dad or Uncle Sam."_

 _"Alright…so we're both messed up," Alec said._

 _"We should try to be a little less messed up," Ben said with a small smile. "At least around Dad and Uncle Sam because I think we're freaking them out."_

 _"I'm still not hungry," he grumbled._

 _He smiled a little when Ben chuckled, "Me either. But I actually think that's normal for once. I think our stomachs shrunk since we weren't eating as much, so it'll take some time to get back to eating everything in sight again."_

 _"Nerd," he teased._

 _"Whatever," Ben said, pushing him over slightly. "You knew the answer too."_

 _"Yeah, but I'm not nerdy enough to say it out loud," Alec said._

 _"Whoa!" Dad yelled as what sounded like a body hit the floor. He and Ben were out of the bathroom in an instant. The demon was dead on the floor with Shaylene over him with Dad's angel blade in her hand. "Ok. Well, that just happened."_

 _"Yeah, and he was our best shot at the location of the brothel. Do you have any idea where it is?" Uncle Sam asked Shaylene._

 _"No, but, um…" she bent down and got into the demon's jacket pocket before she handed something to Dad. "I saw him give these out at the bars."_

 _"Alright…next stop Raul's Girls…1482 Willis Blvd…" Dad said._

 _Shaylene quickly left while Uncle Sam took care of the dead demon. Dad decided to hang out in the motel room with them, which was probably to keep them calm and away from another dead body. It was almost awkwardly silent as the three of them waited and he hated it. He used to just be able to fill a silence without even thinking about it, but now he had no idea what to talk about. He couldn't talk about any of the hunts he and Ben had gone on since that would make Dad upset. And he didn't feel like talking about his feelings since Winchesters just didn't do that kind of thing. Obviously, Ben wasn't going to talk since he didn't normally talk anyway. And what was Dad going to talk about? Dying and coming back to life? Again? He almost felt nauseas just thinking about it and the silence wasn't helping. At least he hadn't eaten anything at that stupid diner._

 _Dad suddenly took a deep breath and turned to look at both of them. "Alright, I can't do this silent thing anymore, so what's up? What's going on with you two?" Dad asked._

 _"Nothing," he and Ben said at the same time._

 _"Fine. Let's start with something easy," Dad said. "Why aren't you eating?"_

 _"We are eating," Alec said. "We're just not hungry."_

 _"C'mon, you can do better than that," Dad urged._

 _"Ben, go ahead and tell Dad your genius theory," he said, looking over at his brother. Ben glared at him because he knew he didn't want to tell Dad about why they weren't eating. Dad would feel like it was his fault because they ran away because he had died._

 _"I'm not gonna get mad, I swear," Dad said. "I just wanna know what's going on, so maybe I can help, or at least I could understand it a little better."_

 _"I think our stomachs got smaller because we weren't eating as much, so now we aren't as hungry, but I think eventually we'll be back to how we had been eating, it'll just take a little while," Ben said as fast as he could._

 _And just as they thought, Dad looked sad and guilty because of it. But Dad quickly schooled his features and slowly nodded, "Ok, see, that's good to know. I just want you to let me know if you're hungry, ok?"_

 _"Ok," they said at the same time again._

 _"Alright. Alec, what's up with the flinching?" Dad asked bluntly._

 _"It's nothing," he quickly replied. This time he didn't want to hurt Ben with the answer. He didn't want Ben to know that he'd needed something that Ben wouldn't give him. He didn't want to make Ben comfort him, and he knew his brother didn't like touching people, so he wasn't about to make Ben feel bad. "I'll try not to do it anymore."_

 _"Did someone hurt you?" Dad growled._

 _"No! I swear it's nothing," Alec said. "I'll stop."_

 _"Alec," Dad said with a sigh._

 _"I'm just not used to it, that's all," he said, hoping Dad would drop it._

 _Dad looked a him for a few seconds before he looked at Ben. "What's up with the zoning out?" Dad asked gently._

 _He scowled since Dad didn't ask him like that; he'd just straight up asked him. Dad didn't notice, so he crossed his arms and decided to ignore him while Ben said, "I'll stop too."_

 _Dad sighed again, "I can't fix anything if I don't know what's wrong."_

 _"I just want to hunt," Alec said as he headed for the door._

 _"Alec-" Dad started, but he was already outside. He didn't know how to cope with this feeling of abandonment, and part of him knew he was doing the exact opposite thing of what he should do, but there had always been something wrong with him. He'd always been a screwup, so why change anything now._

* * *

 _He wished he knew how to help his brother, but he didn't. He could tell that Alec wasn't happy, anyone who knew anything about Alec could've figured that out, but his brother didn't think Dad and Uncle Sam wanted them around, which was crazy. But he couldn't call his brother crazy because that would just make him feel worse. And he hadn't even noticed that Alec was flinching whenever Dad or Uncle Sam tried to ruffle his hair or rub his back, and then he'd felt terrible because he knew Alec needed comfort and the entire time that they'd been hunting, he couldn't think of a single moment that he'd actually comforted his brother. Not physically anyway, unless he was hurt._

 _Alec was silent as they drove to the address that the girl had found. He knew it was weird that everyone was being quiet, but he and Alec hadn't talked a lot while they were hunting. Alec talked when he wanted to, and he listened, but he liked listening more than talking, and after a while, Alec talked less and less. He used to wish for silence anytime it was all of them together since Dad and Alec talked nonstop, but now he missed the endless chatter, the back and forth, and especially the teasing of anything Uncle Sam did. It was too quiet and there was no laughter and he hated it._

 _"You two stay here," Dad said once he pulled up to a bar._

 _He started to automatically move to the door to get out since he knew Alec wouldn't stay in the car and there was no way he was going to stay in here by himself, but he stopped when he realized Alec hadn't moved to get out. Dad frowned when he noticed Alec wasn't getting out, but he didn't say anything. It was like they were all afraid to upset each other. And it sucked._

 _"You don't wanna go in?" Ben asked once Dad and Uncle Sam were at the door to the bar. "They might need backup?"_

 _"Dad said to stay here," Alec mumbled._

 _"Yeah, but you hardly ever stay in the car," Ben pointed out. "Dad only says that because that's what Dad does. He doesn't actually expect us to stay in the car anymore. C'mon, let's go see what's going on."_

 _Alec reluctantly got out of the car and slowly followed him inside. He couldn't remember the last time Alec let him walk into a building first. It was usually a fight to get to go in before his brother. He decided not to mention it, and just decided to stay close to Alec._

 _He immediately felt the need to gag though once they were inside. Something smelled awful, like decay and sulfur at the same time. Dad looked over at them once they walked into the room, and he could tell he was relieved that they had ignored him and come inside anyway. He was glad he'd sort of talked Alec into coming in. It was weird that he was the one wanting to break the rules now instead of Alec, but until they could figure out what normal was again, they would just have to pretend._

 _"Can't believe somebody got to kill this Raul tool before we could," Dad said. He was next to a dead body with a puddle of black goop around him. "Check IDs."_

 _"Alright," Uncle Sam said. He was by another dead body, so he knelt down and checked it over. "Uh, Dean, from the look and…smell of it, pure demon. I think this is Raul."_

 _He frowned since this was a weird way for a demon to die. "What? Did he puke himself to death?" Dad asked._

 _"Yeah, literally," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Ok, so…Something went down here. There was a standoff. One demon smokes out and Raul…What can even kill a demon like this?" Dad asked._

 _He walked over to the demon that Uncle Sam was next to and knelt down to get a closer look. It was weird that somehow the demon had died without an obvious reason. But should they even try to stop someone from killing demons? Especially demons who were in an obvious sex trafficking setup?_

 _"Apparently…A witch," Uncle Sam said, holding up a hex bag._

 _"Great," Alec grumbled. One thing he and his brother definitely got from Dad, was their dislike of witches. But maybe this was a good witch. It was killing demons, so that was good. Maybe they didn't need to just kill them as soon as they found them. They could talk to them and maybe find out how they killed the demon like this._

 _"Well, let's find out whatever we can on this witch and find a place to stop for the night," Dad said._

 _"What if it's a good witch?" Ben asked._

 _"We'll see, buddy," Dad replied._

 _He and Alec went back to the car to wait for Dad and Uncle Sam. "Do you really think it could be a good witch?" Alec asked after a few seconds of them sitting in silence._

 _"They killed a demon," Ben said. "Can't be all bad if they're killing demons."_

 _"Yeah…guess so," Alec said, looking out the window._

 _He reached out and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. He felt him flinch at the touch, but he refused to move away. "Alec, I'm sorry," Ben whispered._

 _Alec looked over at him with a frown and asked, "Why?"_

 _"You needed physical contact when it was just the two of us and I never gave you that," Ben said. "I knew you liked contact more than me, but I didn't think about it." Alec shrugged and started to pull away from him, but he grabbed his brother and hugged him. Alec was tense for a few seconds, but then he slowly started to relax and hugged him back._

 _They didn't say anything else and they only hugged for a few more seconds, but he knew that had made things better. He still knew his brother and his brother still trusted him. And even though Dad and Uncle Sam were back, they still had each other. They always had each other._

 _Dad and Uncle Sam came back to the car, and Dad started driving somewhere else. Uncle Sam got his laptop out and started looking up anything he could about the witch._

 _"Here we go," Uncle Sam said. "Um, so it looks like in the 18th century, there were accounts of demons killed by witchcraft. Apparently they were vanquished by a spell called defigere et depurgare which is Latin for 'to bind and purge'."_

 _"You think that's the same kind of spell that took out Raul?" Dad asked._

 _"Sounds like it. But from what I can tell, that spell hasn't been used in over 300 years. And it was only ever known by one person, the witch who created it," Uncle Sam said._

 _"That is?" Dad prodded when Uncle Sam didn't just say it._

 _"Rowena," Uncle Sam stated._

 _Dad didn't say anything else, and he didn't ask about the research like he normally did. And Alec didn't ask Dad where they were going like he normally did. They weren't back to normal, but after a few miles of driving, Alec moved over to lean against him. He smiled a little since that had been the most normal thing to happen since Dad and Uncle Sam had found them. He still felt a pang of regret that he'd forgotten how Alec needed to have physical contact with people, but his brother didn't blame him for it, and they could get through this._

 _And he realized, as Alec slowly fell asleep, that he wasn't opposed to physical contact as he had thought he was. He didn't tell Alec to go away or to get off of him when he leaned on him in his sleep, and he'd always tried to hold Dad's hand when he was little. Somewhere along the line he had decided he didn't like contact, but now he knew it wasn't true. He just didn't seek it out anymore like he used to, and like how Alec still did, but he still needed it. As Alec leaned against him, he felt like he had finally found something that he'd been missing for a long time._

 _Since Purgatory, he realized. That was when the change had happened because every moment had been about survival. And when he'd come back, it had taken a while for things to feel ok again, but he'd never really gotten used to people touching him. But maybe he could change that now._

 _He wrapped his arm around his brother and leaned back against him, smiling a little more since not only did he have his Dad and Uncle back, but he had his brother back too, and that was even more special since he hadn't even known that he'd lost his brother for a while._

* * *

 _His mind was not on the case as he spoke to the waiter. Ben was with him since Ben didn't want to be away from him, while Alec was with Sam. At least, he hoped Alec was still with Sam. He didn't know how to make things better. He didn't want to tell his boys that he'd been turned into a demon while they had been hunting by themselves, but they knew he was keeping something from them. He just didn't know how to make anything better anymore._

 _"Middle of my shift, there's Marty falling down, clutching his head, stroking out right there on the floor, sweating, turning red, like…like…"_

 _"Like his brains were boiling?" Dean filled in for the man. "Was there anything else unusual?" He looked away from the waiter to see where Ben was, but he was still over by one of the tables, looking around._

 _"More unusual than our head waiter dropping dead in front of me?" the waiter asked._

 _"Before that," he stated. He just wanted to hurry up and get out of here. He didn't really want to hunt down this witch; he just wanted to go home and maybe play some video games with his boys or watch some movies. He wanted to do something normal with them, and something fun._

 _"I don't know, I mean I thought getting two hookers in here was pretty damn unusual, but that was before Marty keeled over," the waiter said._

 _"Uh, two hookers?" Dean asked. Ben perked up and slowly walked back over to him. He had to resist reaching out and pulling his son closer since that would blow their cover and because Ben would probably pull away from him. Ben wasn't real big on physical contact, but he only pulled away from them when they were in public. But the fact that Alec kept pulling away from them was concerning. He didn't know how to help Alec, but he had been pretty happy to see his boys sleeping against each other in the car when they had stopped for the night. That had made him think things could get better._

 _"Based on what they were wearing, yeah," the waiter said._

 _"Were they alone?" Dean asked. He didn't think the hookers were the witch, but if someone was with them, then there was a good chance that was who they were looking for._

 _"No. Came in with a lady," the waiter said._

 _"Thank you for your time," he said. He and Ben left the restaurant, and he was surprised Ben didn't start asking him questions about the case. Ben wasn't a big talker like Alec was, but when they were on a case, he would ask any question he could think of._

 _He tried to ignore that everything was messed up because of him, and instead walked back outside where Sam and Alec were sitting at a table. Sam was talking on the phone when they walked up, and Alec looked like he was almost taking a nap at the table._

 _He and Ben sat down just as Sam was finishing up the conversation on the phone. "No, that is strange. Alright, I hear you. Thank you," Sam said before he hung up._

 _"Hey, so, it looks like our witch was here with two new friends," Dean said._

 _"Really? Raul's girls? What does she want with them?" Sam asked._

 _"I don't know. What'd you get from the hunter network?" Dean asked._

 _"This guy Darrell's been working a case, a series of grisly hotel murders, one at the Kensington, another at the Waldorf in Cleveland…bodies stabbed, impaled on the ceiling," Sam said._

 _"Sounds a little more homicidal maniac than witchy," Dean said._

 _"That's what Darrell thought too, until the autopsy came back. Actual cause of death-"_

 _"Let me guess…boiled brains," Dean said._

 _"Yeah, same as our waiter," Sam replied._

 _"Well, I'll give this to the witch…she's got deep pockets," Dean said. "The Kensington, the Waldorf, this restaurant…that can't be cheap."_

 _"Yeah. Let's get," Sam said as he stood up. Alec looked up suddenly, and it was like he was surprised he and Ben were there. Maybe Alec had been napping. Although, that was concerning too. He didn't want Alec to be depressed like he had been after Bobby's death. He felt a stab of guilt that Alec had probably shut down after he had died too. He looked over at Ben and saw that he was watching Alec closely. So, not only did he leave his boys and turn into a demon, but they were also depressed and alone and afraid, and there wasn't anything he could do to make it better. Not anything he knew of anyway._

 _"Where're we going?" Alec asked._

 _"Check out every five-star hotel in the area," Sam said with a small smile._

 _"Oh," he said, impressed. That was a pretty good lead. Maybe they'd be able to find this witch and get some answers after all. And then once they were done with this case, he would find something to make it up to his boys. He knew he couldn't really make anything better, but he wanted to try. He had to try. They were his kids, and even though he'd screwed up, maybe he could find a way to fix it._

* * *

 _He felt more at ease than he had in a while once they started gearing up. He felt normal when he loaded his gun and stashed an extra knife in his boot. He felt calm thinking about finding this witch and taking her down with his family with him. They were hunters. This is what they did. This was how he could feel like himself again._

 _He looked over at his brother and smiled. A real smile. Ben gave him a surprised smile in return since his brother could tell his smile was real. And Ben reached over and hit his arm, which made him laugh a little. He playfully pushed Ben back and felt a relief at having his brother again. They had been so focused on staying alive, hunting, staying hidden, they had forgotten that they were still kids and they were still brothers. They had still looked out for each other while it was just the two of them, but they could relax and just be brothers again instead of always watching to make sure the other wasn't about to disappear like Dad had._

 _"You want this one too?" Ben asked, holding up another knife that would fit in his other boot._

 _He chuckled as he took the knife from his brother, "You know I hate wearing boots without knifes inside of them."_

 _"Silly me," Ben said, rolling his eyes. "Why should you want to be comfortable while we're hunting a witch?"_

 _"Exactly," he said with a wide smile._

 _"Hey, you ready?" Dad asked as he walked over to them. Dad reached out automatically to ruffle his hair, but then looked at him in surprise when he didn't flinch at the contact. He was a little surprised at himself, but he felt another weight lift when Dad broke into a smile._

 _"I'm ready," he said before Dad could say anything about him not flinching._

 _"Me too," Ben agreed._

 _"Alright," Dad said. "We're pretty sure this is the right place." They started walking over to meet up with Uncle Sam at the entrance. "But if it's not, then we'll just keep looking."_

 _"It is," Alec said once they were at the door. Dad looked over at him again, so he said, "I can smell sulfur, so even if the witch isn't here, there's at least some demons."_

 _Dad gave him a proud smile before he led the way into the hotel. He and Ben stayed behind Dad and Uncle Sam as they went to the front desk and found out which room Rowena had gotten._

 _Dad motioned for him and Ben to stay back once they got upstairs, and he did without arguing. Dad gave him a funny look, but quickly turned around as five people suddenly walked around the corner. The first woman was dressed in a black suit and reeked of sulfur. She practically walked right into Dad, so he yelled, "Dad, it's a demon!"_

 _Dad immediately stabbed the woman in the stomach with his angel blade. There were three women who quickly ran the other direction while the male moved and threw Dad to the ground while he was pulling away from the dead demon. Uncle Sam started to fight the male demon, but he was thrown to the ground too. He and Ben moved at the same time, blurring to the demon to take it out before it could hurt Dad or Uncle Sam. He held the demon's arms back as Ben scooped up Uncle Sam's angel blade, and then stabbed the man, killing him._

 _He released the demon, letting his body fall to the floor, while Dad and Uncle Sam got up again._

 _"Who are those guys?" one of the women asked the red-headed woman._

 _"Hunters," the woman replied. She must be Rowena._

 _"Let's get out of here," the other woman said._

 _"Don't worry, ladies," Dad said as they walked down the hall, towards the three women. "Our beef's not with you. We're here for the witch. Rowena."_

 _"Always nice to be recognized," Rowena said. He kind of liked her. He liked her accent anyway. And he knew she was a witch, but they still hadn't decided for sure if she was bad. She killed the waiter and some other people, but she also killed a demon, so maybe she could be swayed to stop killing normal people._

 _"Do something…a spell," the blonde girl demanded._

 _Rowena turned to the girl and said, "That's an excellent idea." He couldn't tell what she did, but then she said, "Impetus bestiarum." The blonde girl screamed as she bent over in pain._

 _"What did you do to her?" Dad asked, concerned._

 _Rowena just laughed as the blonde woman looked up again. He almost gasped when he saw the blood coming out of her eyes. She snarled, and then punched Dad, catching him off guard before she shoved Uncle Sam out of the way. He and Ben backed up, which gave Rowena and the other girl the perfect chance to get away._

 _Ben suddenly ran at the blonde girl and tackled her, and then Uncle Sam was there too, helping his brother. "Go! Go!" Uncle Sam yelled._

 _He took off running after Rowena, but then realized Uncle Sam had probably been telling Dad to go after her. It was too late to turn back now, and Dad was with him anyway, so it didn't matter. Ben and Uncle Sam could handle the crazy chick, and then maybe he and Dad could still catch Rowena._

 _They ran outside and were just in time to see the other girl punch Rowena and walk away. Rowena looked seriously pissed, so she didn't notice that he snuck up right behind her. Dad stayed back a few feet since he knew that he could be silent as he snuck up on her. He felt like smiling again since Dad was showing him that he trusted him to be able to hunt still._

 _"Occideris ingrat-"_

 _"Not another word," he said, putting his gun against the back of Rowena's head. He was pretty sure she had been about to put a curse on that other girl, and he wasn't about to let that happen. Rowena slowly turned, so he stepped back just enough to give her space, but he could still shoot her if he needed to._

 _"Don't look now, but you two aren't the only ones here for a little chat," Rowena said._

 _"Shit," Dad breathed. He heard Dad's gun fall to the ground, so even though he knew he shouldn't take his eyes off of Rowena, he did. He glared at the man who had a gun pointed at his Dad, and inwardly he sighed because he could hear Rowena walking away from him. Who the hell was this guy and why was he about to shoot his Dad? "Alec, try to follow Rowena," Dad said calmly._

 _"But-"_

 _"Go," Dad ordered._

 _He didn't want to go, but they were on a hunt and he didn't ignore his Dad while they were hunting. Besides, Dad could easily take that guy. And if he wasn't there, then Dad would be able to actually focus on fighting instead of looking out for him at the same time even though he could have helped. But Rowena was getting away, and he at least wanted to find out a little more about her if he could._

 _He ran down the alley just praying that he wouldn't hear a gunshot. If his Dad died, then he'd never forgive himself for leaving when he could have helped._

 _But he caught sight of the bounce of red hair, so he ran and quickly caught up to Rowena. He could tell that he surprised her as she turned around and stared at him, at his gun that he had pointed at her again._

 _"Aren't you a sneaky boy," Rowena said. He smiled a little since he knew he was sneaky, and she actually didn't seem afraid that he had a gun pointed at her._

 _"I might look like a boy, but I've killed a lot of people. And killing a witch won't leave any kind of mark on my conscious," Alec said._

 _"So, why haven't you pulled the trigger already?" Rowena asked._

 _"Because you killed a demon," Alec said. "My brother thought maybe you could be a good witch."_

 _"I'm not," Rowena said. "I just don't like demons."_

 _"Me either," he said._

 _"So, what will it be? Are you going to shoot me or not because I can't just wait around all day, laddie," Rowena said._

 _"I'm guessing you wouldn't be willing to promise to stop killing humans, would you?" he asked back._

 _"No," Rowena stated._

 _"Then there's no reason to let you go," Alec said._

 _"Not unless you want to," she replied simply._

 _"Why would I want to? You're a witch," Alec said._

 _"And you're a hunter," Rowena said. "But you don't see me trying to kill you, now do you?" He chuckled even though he shouldn't. "You know my name, but I'm afraid I don't know yours."_

 _"Why do you want my name? There some kind of witchy voodoo you can cast on someone just by knowing their name?" Alec asked._

 _That made her smile. "No, not necessarily. It would just save me some time of having to figure it out. I like to know who let me live when they had no reason to."_

 _"I still haven't decided if I'm gonna kill you or not," Alec said._

 _"Then I would like to know the name of the_ man _who killed me," Rowena said. But she was smiling, so she knew he wasn't going to kill her._

 _"My name's Alec," he said without hesitation. Witches were bad, he knew that, but he liked Rowena. And maybe if he did let her go, then if they ever ran into each other again, she wouldn't kill them. She might even help them._

 _"See, was that so hard," she teased._

 _"Try to keep a lower profile," he said. "I'd hate to have to hunt you down again."_

 _"And I hate to be hunted," Rowena said. She took a small step away from him, as if testing what he would do, but then turned and walked away when he didn't do anything. He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do or not, but he didn't think that he could've pulled the trigger this time. He was created to kill, but his Dad had taught him that he didn't have to kill. Hopefully this was one of those times._

 _He waited until she was completely out of sight before he turned and started back to the hotel. He was a little surprised when Ben ran up to him a few seconds later. "Hey, you ok? Did you find her?" Ben asked, quickly scanning him to make sure he really was ok._

 _"I'm good, but she got away," he said._

 _"We'll find her," Ben said._

 _"Did you see Dad on your way over here?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah, he told me to go find you," Ben said. "Some dude tried to beat him up it looked like, but Dad's ok. He's a little beat up but he said it was just a misunderstanding."_

 _"Think it was something from before we came along?" Alec asked._

 _"Don't know…maybe," Ben said._

 _"What about the blonde girl?"_

 _"Dead," Ben stated. Great, so Rowena killed another human, and would kill more because he let her go. But even though he regretted the other humans that were going to probably die, he still would have chosen to let her go. "But we'll find her again. We know what to look for now."_

 _"She could still be good," Alec said._

 _"Maybe…" Ben said, but it didn't sound like he believed it._

 _"I think she could be good," he muttered. Ben looked at him for a few seconds before he let it go. "You think we could convince Dad to watch some movies with us once we get home?"_

 _"Yeah, I think so," Ben said. His brother tossed his arm over his shoulders, which made him smile. He looked back for a moment where he'd last seen Rowena before he tried to forget about her again. They'd run into each other again, and then maybe it wouldn't be his decision if she lived or died. Right now, all he had to worry about was getting back to the rest of his family and figuring out what was normal again._

* * *

 _More soon..._


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

 _2010_

 _He reached down and grabbed Alec's hand as they walked down the hall. The little boy looked up at him in confusion, but he didn't let go of his hand. He'd had Alec for three days now, and he still had no idea what he was doing. He knew he wasn't going to just suddenly know everything, but he wished he had an idea of what he was doing. But Alec hadn't run away from him, his kid was still alive, and he was going to do better. He could learn how to be Alec's dad._

 _"Do I have the funny marks on my ribs too?" Alec suddenly asked, tugging on his hand a little as they walked._

 _"Yeah kiddo," Dean said. "Cas carved it into our ribs to protect us from the angels." Alec didn't say anything to that, and he couldn't tell how he felt about angels. He knew the basics about his little boy, but he didn't_ know _him._

 _"I get to stay with you, right?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah Alec, you get to stay with me," Dean said. He was a little confused since he'd already told Alec this more than once, but the little boy must not believe him. He could understand why Alec didn't believe him when he told him that he was going to take care of him since from what he knew about the little boy, good things didn't happen to him. "How's your side feeling?" he asked softly. He wanted to check Alec's bullet wound again, but he couldn't while they were in the hospital. He didn't want someone to see that Alec was hurt, and then try to take him away from him. He wouldn't let it happen. He didn't know how to be a dad, but he wanted to at least try. He felt like he needed to take care of Alec since he technically was his._

 _"I'm fine," Alec easily replied._

 _"I'll still look you over once we get out of here, ok kiddo?" Dean asked._

 _"I'm pretty much healed now," Alec stated. "It hardly even hurts anymore."_

 _"Well, I'm still gonna look," Dean said. Alec looked like he wasn't sure about that, but he didn't argue with him. He didn't argue about anything that he could think of. It had only been a few days, but he was pretty sure kids usually argued. Maybe Alec was just trying to make sure that he wasn't going to get in trouble for doing something wrong._

 _"Is Bobby going to get better?" Alec asked as they continued through the hallways. Alec stayed close to his side throughout the hospital, like he was afraid that if he got lost or if they were separated, then something really bad would happen. He had gotten into the habit, even in the few days that he'd known Alec, of holding Alec's little hand or just picking him up and carrying him._

 _"Bobby's gonna be in a wheelchair from now on," Dean said. "The doctors don't think he's going to be able to ever walk again."_

 _"Oh," Alec said._

 _"But he's still alive," Dean reassured. "And it's gonna take him a long time to figure out how to deal with this, but he's not gonna die because of this."_

 _"Are we going to live with him now?" Alec asked. "Do you live in a house or something?"_

 _"Well…"_

 _"I'm sorry," Alec quickly apologized when he hesitated._

 _"Hey, it's ok," Dean reassured. He stopped in the hallway and crouched down in front of his little boy. "You don't have to apologize for asking questions. I just didn't want to disappoint you with the answer."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Well, I'm not sure what all you were expecting when you went looking for me, but I don't live in a house," Dean said. "And I didn't want to disappoint you with that answer if you were expecting us to live in a house."_

 _"Where do you live?" Alec asked, looking at him with his big green eyes._

 _"Me and Sammy travel around," Dean said._

 _"I know," Alec said with a little frown._

 _"Well, we pretty much live in the Impala and in motel rooms," Dean said. "We visit Bobby quite a bit, but mostly, we're on the road. Is that ok?" If it wasn't, then maybe they could find a way to settle down somewhere. He wanted Alec to stay with him, but they also had to stop the apocalypse. Maybe they could travel until the apocalypse was over, and then find somewhere to settle down. Or even stay with Bobby if that's what Alec wanted._

 _"That's ok," Alec said. "I just wanted to find you and get to stay with you."_

 _"Then we're in good shape, kiddo," Dean said with a smile._

 _"But Manticore is gonna look for me," Alec whispered, looking away from him._

 _"Let 'em try," Dean said as he gently tipped Alec's chin up. "I'm not lettin' 'em take you away from me, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Alec said._

 _He smiled a little and ruffled Alec's hair before he stood up again. He decided to pick Alec up this time since it seemed like the little boy always felt better if he got to be carried after one of these talks. They didn't have them a lot, but when they did, then he typically picked him up afterwards._

 _He walked back to Bobby's room but stayed in the doorway since Bobby was still sitting at the window, staring at nothing. Sam got up as soon as he saw him and walked over to him. "It's been like three days now?" Dean asked softly. Sam sighed and nodded. "We got to cheer him up. Maybe I'll give him a backrub."_

 _"Dean," Sam said, sighing again._

 _"Well, what then?"_

 _"Look…we might have to wrap our heads around the idea that Bobby might not just bounce back this time," Sam said. He didn't answer because he knew Bobby wouldn't walk again, but he would bounce back. Bobby always bounced back. "What's in the envelope?"_

 _"We took a field trip to radiology," Dean said, giving Alec a gentle squeeze. He handed the envelope to Sam, so he could see for himself. "Got some glamour shots." Sam took out the x-rays and held them up so he could see. He and Alec had already looked at them, so he didn't bother looking again. "Let's just say the doctors are baffled."_

 _"Holy crap," Sam breathed._

 _"Yeah, well, Cas carved you one too," Dean said. "And little squirt here."_

 _"Squirt?" Alec ask, wrinkling his little nose in distaste._

 _"Alright, not squirt," Dean said with a chuckle. "I'll stick with kiddo." Alec gave him a big smile and nodded that he liked kiddo better. He messed up Alec's hair again since his kid was just so cute._

 _Sam's phone rang suddenly, making Alec jump a little. Alec looked at Sam curiously as he answered his phone, "Hello? Castiel?"_

 _"Speak of the devil," Dean said._

 _"What is that?" Alec asked, tugging on the collar of his jacket to get his attention._

 _"That's a cellphone," Dean said._

 _"Oh," Alec said, but then asked, "What's a cellphone?" Alec moved from playing with his jacket collar to his necklace. Alec looked at it closely, and even cocked his head to the side as if he was trying to figure out what it was._

 _"It's a thing that lets you talk to someone else who's not here," Dean said._

 _"Do you have a cellphone?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah, I have a cellphone," Dean said. He dug around in his pocket, and then pulled out his phone. He handed it to Alec, so he could look at it._

 _"Ah, St. Martin's Hospital," Sam said, on the phone still. "Why? What are you-Cas?" Sam hung up and shrugged at him. He didn't know why Cas was using a phone either, but he was too busy watching Alec play with his phone. Alec was focused as he pushed buttons and looked through as much as he could. He smiled when Sam's phone rang again, and Sam smiled too when he saw that it was his phone calling him. "Hello?" Sam asked with a smile._

 _"Put the phone to your ear," Dean whispered._

 _Alec put the phone up, so Sam said again, "Hello?"_

 _Alec's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Sam?"_

 _"Hey kiddo," Sam said with a laugh._

 _"This is cool," Alec said. "We just had radios at Manticore."_

 _"You sure are smart," Dean said after Alec hung up and gave the phone back to him._

 _"I actually have a genius-level IQ," Alec said._

 _"Really?" Dean said._

 _"Uh-huh," Alec said. "Plus, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that once you get into the contacts and find the name 'Sam' on the list, the probability of it being Sam is pretty good."_

 _"You're a funny kid," Dean said. Alec beamed, so he liked being funny. He looked up when he saw someone walking over to them, and then rolled his eyes when he saw it was Cas. "Cellphone Cas? Really? Since when do angels need to reach out and touch someone?"_

 _Alec peeked over at Cas, but then quickly hid against his neck when Cas looked over at him. "You're hidden from angels now-all angels," Cas said, looking at him when it became clear that Alec wasn't going to stop hiding against him. "I won't be able to simply-"_

 _"Enough foreplay," Bobby said, turning his wheelchair around to face them. "Get over here and lay your damn hands on me." None of them moved, so Bobby snapped, "Get healing. Now."_

 _"I can't," Cas said._

 _"Say again?" Bobby growled._

 _Cas walked into the room, "I'm cut off from heaven and much of heaven's power. Certain things I can do. Certain things I can't."_

 _"You're tellin' me you lost your mojo just in time to get me stuck in this trap the rest of my life?" Bobby said._

 _"I'm sorry," Cas replied._

 _"Shove it up your ass," Bobby shot back, turning around again to stare out of the window._

 _"At least he's talking now," Dean muttered._

 _"I heard that," Bobby said._

 _He just shrugged since he hadn't been trying to be quiet. Alec had peeked out when Bobby and Cas were talking, but he quickly hid again since Cas was walking back over to them. Alec wasn't really a shy kid, well, he didn't think he was a shy kid, but he guessed maybe he could be, but he seemed to be pretty uneasy around Cas, which was understandable considering what had happened just a few days ago. His heart still pounded just thinking about how close he'd been to losing Alec after just getting him._

 _"I don't have much time," Cas said. "We need to talk."_

 _"Ok," Dean said, telling Cas to get on with it._

 _"Your plan to kill Lucifer," Cas said._

 _"Yeah. You wanna help?" Dean asked._

 _"No. It's foolish. It can't be done," Cas stated._

 _"Oh. Thanks for the support," Dean sarcastically replied. He felt Alec smile a little against his neck, which made him smile a little too._

 _"But I believe I have the solution," Cas continued, completely missing his sarcasm. "There is someone besides Michael strong enough to take on Lucifer. Strong enough to stop the apocalypse."_

 _"Who's that?" Sam asked._

 _"The one who resurrected me and put you on that airplane. The one who began everything," Cas said. "God." He and Sam shared a look. "I'm gonna find God."_

 _He quickly walked into Bobby's room, and Sam and Cas followed him inside. He shut the door behind them before he turned around again. "God?"_

 _"Yes," Cas stated._

 _"God," he repeated._

 _"Yes. He isn't in heaven," Cas said. "He has to be somewhere."_

 _"Try New Mexico. I hear he's on a tortilla," Dean said, being sarcastic again. Alec stopped hiding so he could look at him in confusion. He smiled at Alec and ran his hand through his hair. Alec smiled too, reassured possibly by his sarcasm or his smile, and then rested his head on his shoulder. He thought maybe Alec might be tired; he didn't know much about kids, but Alec could want to take a nap. But instead, he started playing with his necklace again._

 _He suddenly felt very warm and happy just thinking that he could pass on his necklace to Alec. He could pass everything onto Alec. Alec was his kid. He wanted to give him everything. He rubbed Alec's back, wondering how he could be so lucky to suddenly get this cool little kid in his life._

 _"No, he's not on any flatbread," Cas stated._

 _"Listen, Chuckles, even if there is a God, he is either dead-and that's the generous theory-"_

 _"He is out there, Dean," Cas cut off._

 _"-or he's up and kickin' and doesn't give a rat's ass about any of us," he continued like he'd never been interrupted. Cas glared at him. "I mean, look around you, man. The world is in the toilet. We are literally at the end of days here, and he's off somewhere drinking booze out of a coconut. Alright?"_

 _"Enough," Cas said. "This is not a theological issue. It's strategic. With God's help, we can win."_

 _"It's a pipe dream, Cas," Dean said._

 _Cas headed for him, and he quickly took a few steps back. He didn't think Cas would hurt him, but he had Alec held against him, so he wasn't going to take any chances. "I killed two angels this week," Cas said. He didn't want to say that it was no big loss, but he knew that wouldn't go over well with Cas. "My brothers. I'm hunted. I rebelled. And I did it, all of it, for you, and you failed. You and your brother destroyed the world and I lost everything for nothing. So keep your opinions to yourself."_

 _They were all quiet for a few seconds, and honestly, he had no idea what to say. Who cares what Cas wanted to do? He just wanted to keep Alec safe and try to stop the apocalypse._

 _"You didn't drop in just to tear us a new hole," Bobby said, turning around again. "What is it you want?"_

 _"I did come for something," Cas said. "An amulet."_

 _"An amulet? What kind?" Bobby asked, probably trying to think of what kind of amulets he had access to._

 _"Very rare. Very powerful," Cas said. "It burns hot in God's presence. It'll help me find him."_

 _"A God EMF?" Sam asked. Cas nodded._

 _"Well, I don't know what you're talking about. I got nothing like that," Bobby said._

 _"I know. You don't," Cas said. Cas looked at him again, and then looked down at his necklace, which Alec was still playing with. Alec noticed Cas looking at the amulet and quickly grabbed it, hiding it in his little hand like he was afraid Cas was going to take it from him._

 _"What, this?" Dean asked._

 _"May I borrow it?" Cas asked._

 _"No," he stated. He even took a step back to avoid Cas. He didn't want to give up his amulet. Sam gave it to him, it was his, and he wanted to pass it on to Alec someday._

 _"Dean. Give it to me," Cas said._

 _Alec still wouldn't let go of it, but he didn't want Cas to force him to give it up. "C'mon kiddo," he whispered. Alec reluctantly let it go, so he carefully took it off and held it out to Cas. He pulled it back though when Cas reached for it and warned, "Don't lose it." Cas grabbed it without saying anything. "Great. Now I feel naked," he muttered._

 _"I'll be in touch," Cas said before he disappeared._

 _"When you find God, tell him to send legs," Bobby yelled._

 _"You think it'll work?" Dean asked._

 _Bobby and Sam just shared a look, and they were saved from answering because Bobby's phone started ringing. "Hello?" Bobby answered. "I can't hear you." He took a small step forward since it looked like Bobby thought something was wrong. "Where are you?"_

 _"Who's he talking to?" Alec asked._

 _"I don't know, kiddo," Dean said._

 _"Colora-Colorado?" Bobby asked. "River Pass, Colorado?" He and Sam shared a look, still unsure what could be going on. "Rufus? You there? Ruf-Rufus?"_

 _Bobby hung up after a moment, and then looked at him and Sam. He knew Rufus was in trouble, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to drag Alec into this. He didn't want Alec to get hurt, but they needed to help if they could. "Guess we're goin' to Colorado."_

* * *

 _Sam and Dean argued off and on during the trip to Colorado. He knew the basics of geography, but he had only gotten to see a few places in his life, and most of that was only because he'd walked from Manticore to Dean. He was a little put out that he was in the backseat since he wanted to sit by Dean, but he wasn't going to argue. Dean said he could stay, but he didn't want to annoy him to the point that he kicked him out._

 _But he couldn't see in the backseat. He could see out the side window, but he couldn't see out the front window. Sam and Dean were too big to see around, and Dean didn't want him to sit in the middle either, just in case they got into a wreck or something, is what he had said. He didn't think sitting in the middle would be a bad spot to sit even in an accident, but he would listen to Dean even if sitting where he couldn't see was annoying. He wished he was bigger, then he could see no matter where he sat._

 _"Dean, he should probably stay in the car," Sam said, talking about him again. They'd been doing this a lot, as if he couldn't hear what they were saying even though he was literally right behind them._

 _"We don't know what's goin' on, and it's not like leaving him in the car worked out last time," Dean said. "And I don't wanna leave him in the car."_

 _"I don't wanna stay in the car," he piped up. He didn't want to get in trouble, but he didn't want to stay in the car more._

 _"You're not stayin' in the car, kiddo," Dean reassured. He liked when Dean called him 'kiddo'. And he liked when Dean kept telling Trenchcoat…or Cas…that he was his kid. He wasn't actually Dean's kid, but he felt safe and protected with Dean around. Sam too, but so far, Dean talked_ to _him most of the time instead of about him. He liked being included in the conversation. "We're just gonna see what's up, and then head back."_

 _"Whoa, Dean, look at that," Sam said._

 _He sighed to himself since he couldn't see what was so different that Sam had to point it out. He quickly unbuckled and stood up on the seat to see what was going on. "Alec, what did I say about seatbelts?" Dean asked when he saw him stand up in the rearview mirror._

 _"That they're important and I need to use it," Alec said. Dean was slowing the car down anyway, so he wasn't sure why it mattered if he put on the stupid seatbelt or not._

 _"And you're not using it," Dean pointed out._

 _"I don't know how to put it back on," Alec lied. He knew how to do it, but Dean had buckled him in when they left, so maybe he didn't know that he knew how to do it._

 _"We've gotta stop anyway," Dean said, putting the car in park. Dean got out, so he immediately got out too, so he could see why they had stopped in the first place. The bridge was out, so the Impala wasn't going to be able to go anywhere else, but he could easily see a way down into what looked like a creek, so they could still get across. He started walking toward the little path he saw, but Dean grabbed his arm before he could get far. "Woah kiddo, slow down," Dean said with a laugh. "We need to gear up and think for a minute before we just start walking."_

 _"What happened to the bridge?" Alec asked._

 _"That's what we're here to find out," Dean said, moving his grip from his arm to his hand. He smiled a little because he liked holding Dean's hand, and he liked being carried. He knew he was a terrible soldier because of it, but Dean didn't look at him with disgust. Dean walked back to the trunk of the car, and he was eager to see what else was in the trunk. He'd only gotten a glimpse the last time Dean opened it, but he wanted to see everything. Dean popped it open, and then the weapons were revealed. He took in everything as fast as he could, but he couldn't see everything since he was too small. "This is the only road in and out," Dean said to Sam. He tugged on Dean's hand to try to get his attention. Maybe Dean would pick him up, so he would be able to see more. "Yeah Alec?" Dean asked._

 _"Um…I can't see," Alec whispered, slightly embarrassed._

 _Dean smiled a little and picked him up. "How's that?"_

 _"Better," he said. He could see everything now, and it turned out, Dean had a lot of weapons. It made sense though, because if angels and demons were real, then they would need weapons to fight them. How lucky was he that he not only found his DNA donor, but his donor wanted to keep him_ and _his donor was awesome._

 _"No signal," Sam said, holding his phone up over his head. He looked kind of silly, but he didn't laugh since he thought that might make Sam mad. He didn't want to make Sam mad._

 _"Rufus was right," Dean said. "Demons got this place locked down."_

 _"All this and you still want to bring him with us?" Sam asked._

 _"I'm a trained soldier," Alec said matter-of-factly. "You don't have to worry about me."_

 _"Alec, demons are stronger than you," Dean said. "I'm not leavin' you in the car, but I want you to remember that you're not invincible. I don't want anything happening to you."_

 _"I'll follow orders," Alec said._

 _"And you're not a soldier," Dean said, running his hand through his hair. "You're a little kid who missed out on anything close to a normal childhood, and I'm not helpin' by draggin' you into this, but I'm not leaving you here either." He smiled a little, and then smiled even more when Dean messed up his hair. "But you gotta stay with me, ok? No wandering off or chasing after any demons, ok?"_

 _"Ok," he said with a nod. Dean gave him a sawed-off shotgun, but he didn't even ask him if he knew how to use it. That was a little weird because Dean didn't even think he could buckle himself in, but he didn't even ask him about using a gun. What did that mean?_

 _"Looks like we're hiking in," Sam said, grabbing his own gun._

 _"And the hits just keep on coming," Dean muttered._

 _"It doesn't look difficult to get down to the bottom," Alec said, wiggling so Dean would put him down._

 _"Hey, stay close," Dean said when he got too far away from him. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he refrained. Sam and Dean were taking too long, and he wanted to explore. "Here, let me take back the gun."_

 _He pulled it away from Dean and scowled, "But you gave it to me." He didn't want to get in trouble for refusing to give it back, but he wanted to keep it, and he wanted to test how much he could argue without getting in trouble._

 _Dean smiled a little and crouched in front of him. "I'll give it back once we get to the other side. It'll just be easier to get down there, and then back up without a gun in your hands."_

 _"I can easily climb down there and back up again with the gun," Alec said. "Actually, I can probably climb better than you can."_

 _"I bet you can," Dean agreed. "But if you're ok with it, then you can keep it. If you want me to hold it, I will."_

 _"Ok, I'll keep it," Alec said._

 _Dean laughed, "You're a funny kid."_

 _"Can I go down to the creek now?" Alec asked._

 _"Just a few more minutes," Dean said. "We're almost ready to go."_

 _"I could get a head start," Alec suggested._

 _Dean acted like he was thinking about it, but it was obvious that he wasn't. "How 'bout no," Dean said._

 _"That's not fair," Alec said. "How come you get to decide?"_

 _"Because I'm the adult," Dean stated._

 _"But I have more training than you," Alec said._

 _"Not necessarily, kiddo," Dean said, still smiling. He wasn't getting in trouble for arguing, which was so weird. He'd never had an argument that lasted this long. Most arguments lasted one sentence, and then he was shocked before he was taken to psy-ops. "But, looks like Sammy's ready now, so we're good to go."_

 _"How come you call Sam, Sammy?" Alec asked._

 _"Because he's my brother," Dean said._

 _"Can I call him Sammy too?" Alec asked._

 _"You'll have to ask him," Dean said._

 _Dean grabbed his hand again, and then they walked around the Impala to meet up with Sam. He was disappointed that Sam was going first, and Dean wouldn't let go of his hand, so he couldn't explore and run and climb on rocks. Sam even picked him up at one point, treating him like he couldn't do anything at all, to get over a big boulder._

 _"What's that look for?" Sam asked as he set him down again._

 _"I'm not a baby, Sammy," Alec stated._

 _Sam scowled up at Dean, who just shrugged back. "I told him to ask you, but you pissed him off apparently."_

 _"What did I do?" Sam asked him. He looked sort of mad, but then he noticed that he was trying to hide a smile._

 _"I don't need help over big rocks," Alec said. "And I like climbing on things and running and exploring, but I can't do that with all the hand holding and grabby hands."_

 _"Alright, alright," Dean said with a chuckle. "Just don't get too far away from us, ok?"_

 _"Ok," he said happily. He ran over to the next biggest rock and quickly climbed on top of it._

 _"You told him to ask me if he could call me Sammy?" Sam asked Dean, keeping his voice down to try to keep him from hearing, but it wasn't working._

 _"I told him, but you made him mad," Dean said._

 _"You were doing all the hand holding," Sam grumbled._

 _Dean just shrugged, "He told us to stop when he got tired of it. That's what we want. He needs to know that he can argue with us or tell us if he doesn't like something. I think if he wants to call you Sammy, then he should be able to do that."_

 _"He's too cute to tell him to stop anyway," Sam muttered._

 _"He is cute, isn't he?" Dean said proudly._

 _"You really think he should have a shotgun?" Sam asked._

 _"Quit worrying so much," Dean said. "He probably shoots better than you do."_

 _"That's not the problem, Dean," Sam said. "If we have him start hunting, then he's never going to get to be a normal kid."_

 _"Normal ain't gonna happen for him," Dean said. "Those bastards ruined any chance for him to get normal by treating him like a solider. We can't undo any of that training."_

 _"He should go to school. He should have friends. He should get to-"_

 _"Stop, alright? Just leave it alone for a while," Dean snapped. "I just got him, so give me a minute to figure things out."_

 _"So…not a 'we' kind of situation," Sam muttered. "He's yours, not ours." Dean didn't say anything, so Sam said, "You don't trust me."_

 _"I didn't say that," Dean said. "Hey kiddo, stay in eyesight." Well, that was one way to change the subject._

 _"Ok," he called back._

 _"Let's just hunt," Dean said to Sam before he caught up with him. He didn't mention anything about the conversation he'd heard, since technically, he shouldn't have been able to hear it. He didn't know if Dean could handle all the things he could do without freaking out yet. He wanted to be sure that Dean was going to be ok with it before he told him._

 _He was very disappointed with himself for leaving his file in that motel room where anyone could find it. But he couldn't help that he was unconscious when they'd left. Except, he should have been able to help it. He should have been a better soldier._

 _"No hand holding or grabby hands, huh?" Dean teased._

 _"You were doing the hand holding and Sammy was grabby hands," Alec said._

 _"Well, we're not used to having a little kid around," Dean said. "We'll figure things out though. You just gotta tell us if you don't like somethin', ok?"_

 _"Ok," he replied easily._

 _"And out in public, we've gotta have a cover for you, ok?" Dean said. He nodded, so Dean continued, "In public, you're my kid and you call me Dad and Sam is Uncle Sam, ok? Your Mom never told me when you were born, and then when she died, a social worker tracked me down so you could live with me. Sound good?"_

 _"Yeah," Alec said. "I won't forget."_

 _"Good," Dean said._

 _It was a long walk into town, but once they were on the road, the older men were able to go a lot faster. Dean didn't try to hold his hand again, and he was afraid that he wouldn't ever hold his hand again. He might have ruined everything. Well, maybe not everything, but at least the little comfort that he'd had in his short life._

 _And once they got to town, he kind of really wanted Dean to hold his hand. This town was creepy. There was no one around, there were cars that were still running, a sprinkler was on in front of a house, but still no one. He stayed as close to Dean as he could, with his shotgun ready for anything._

 _He could hear music playing out of one of the cars, and Sam walked over to it and pulled the key out of it. The music stopped, which actually made the place even creepier. "Check out this car, kiddo," Dean said, looking down at him. Dean frowned when he saw him and gently grabbed his hand. "This is a Mustang. Pretty nice car, but not as awesome as the Impala."_

 _He nodded and walked closer to Dean as they passed the red car. He didn't like being in this creepy town. Dean squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. He wanted to ask Dean where everyone was, but he didn't really want to know the answer. He wasn't sure that Dean would know anyway._

 _A gun suddenly cocked, and Dean released his hand to aim his shotgun at whoever it was. But Dean lowered his gun after just a moment, so he decided not to aim his gun at the woman, who was still aiming her gun at them._

 _"Ellen?" Sam asked._

 _"Hello boys," Ellen said._

 _Dean pushed him a little behind his leg, and he followed his silent order and hid behind him. Ellen slowly lowered her gun and walked a little closer to them. She barely glanced at him, but she didn't look surprised to see him. Maybe she was just good at hiding it. "Ellen, what the hell's going on here?" Dean asked. Ellen suddenly threw water in Dean's face and raised her gun again. He scowled at Ellen since Dean didn't look happy about the water in the face. He wouldn't be happy either. That was rude. "We're us," Dean said._

 _Ellen lowered her gun before she walked between Sam and Dean and went to a church without saying anything to them. Dean picked him up, and then followed her to the church. He wanted to ask Dean who she was and why she threw water on him, but this place was creeping him out and he didn't want to break the weird silence._

 _They walked inside the church but stopped in the doorway. There was something drawn on the ceiling and salt across the floor in front of the door._

 _"Real glad to see you boys," Ellen said once they were inside. She was smiling for just a minute, but then she glared at Dean. "The can of whoopass I ought to open on you," she grumbled. "You can't pick up a phone? What are you, allergic to giving me peace of mind? I got to find out that you're alive from Rufus? And who the hell is that?"_

 _"This is Alec," Dean said. "He's my kid."_

 _"Your kid?" Ellen asked._

 _"Cute, right?" Dean asked._

 _"You better put me on speed dial, kid," Ellen said._

 _"Yes ma'am," Dean replied._

 _"Dad, who is this?" Alec asked softly, hiding against Dean's neck. Yeah, he could pretend to be a little kid._

 _"This is Ellen," Dean said. "She's a friend of the family."_

 _He peeked out at Ellen, and she smiled at him. He quickly hid again since that's what kids usually did when they were meeting new people. At least, he hoped it was something kids would do. "He looks just like you," Ellen said. "You brining him into hunting?"_

 _"His Mom died, so I'm all he has," Dean said. "And we've already had some demon problems, so I'm gonna teach him to protect him." Ellen nodded, and then led them further inside the church, down some stairs. "What's going on, Ellen?"_

 _"More than I can handle alone," Ellen said._

 _"How many demons are there?" Sam asked._

 _"Pretty much the whole town, minus the dead people and these guys," Ellen said. Ellen stopped at a closed door before she looked back at them. "So, this is it, right? End times?" Sam and Dean just looked at each other, and he wasn't sure if they didn't want to talk about it in front of him, or if they didn't want to admit it to Ellen. "It's got to be."_

 _"Seems like it," Sam said. So, they weren't going to admit it to Ellen. They trusted her, but not enough to tell her everything, which included the apocalypse and the fact that he wasn't actually Dean's kid._

 _Ellen turned back to the door and knocked, "It's me." It took a second, but then the door opened. There was a group of people on the other side; they all looked different, some were old, some were men, some were women. There were no kids, but they all looked scared._

 _"This is Sam, Dean, and Alec," Ellen said. "They're hunters. Here to help."_

 _"You guys hip to this whole demon thing?" the guy that opened the door asked, looking at him._

 _"Yeah. Are you?" Dean asked back._

 _"My wife's eyes turned black," another guy said. He didn't know why, but he didn't really like this guy. It made no sense, but he made a mental note to stay away from him. "She came at me with a brick. Kind of makes you embrace the paranormal." The guy twisted the ring he was wearing, which was either a nervous habit or a tell that he was lying about something._

 _"Alright, catch us up," Dean said._

 _"I doubt I know much more than you," Ellen said. "Rufus called. Said he was in town investigating omens. All of a sudden, the whole town was possessed. Me and Jo were nearby-"_

 _"You're hunting with Jo?" Dean asked, surprised. Jo must be related somehow to Ellen. Son maybe? But Dean was surprised, so maybe the two of them fought a lot or something._

 _"Yeah, for a while now. We got here, and the place-well, the place was like you see it," Ellen said. "Couldn't find Rufus, then me and Jo got separated. I was out looking when I found you."_

 _"Don't worry, we'll find her," Dean said. Ok…so not her son, but probably her daughter._

 _"Either way, these people cannot just sit here," Sam said. "We got to get them out now."_

 _"No, it's not that easy," Ellen said. "I've been trying. We already made a run for it once."_

 _"What happened?" Sam asked._

 _Ellen looked at him before she looked back at Sam and Dean. "There used to be 20 of us." She definitely thought of him as a little kid since she should have just said 'we've already tried once and a bunch of people died,' but since he was here, she had to water it down a little. Like he couldn't count._

 _"Well, we're here now," Dean said._

 _"You don't know what it's like out there. Demons are everywhere. We won't be able to cover everybody," Ellen said._

 _"What if we get everyone guns?" Sam asked._

 _"What, are you gonna arm up baby bump over here?" Dean asked. He frowned and looked around the room. Did Dean mean the pregnant lady? He must since no one else was about to have a baby. He didn't understand a lot of what Dean said, but he could figure out some of it._

 _"More salt we can fire at once, more demons we can keep away," Sam said. He thought Sam made a good point, and if he was making a run for it from a bunch of demons, then he would want to be able to defend himself too._

 _"There's a sporting goods store we passed on Main on the way in," Dean said. "I bet they've got guns."_

 _"Alright. You stay. We'll go," Sam said. Sam looked at him for a moment, but he didn't tell Dean that he should stay here, which was good because he wasn't going to stay with these people that he didn't know. He was going to stay with Dean._

 _"What about-"_

 _"If Jo and Rufus are out there, we'll bring them back," Sam said._

 _The guy that had let them in, let them back out, but Dean stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Hold on," Dean said. "Why don't I just go?"_

 _"What? Alone?" Sam asked._

 _"Well, yeah," Dean said. "Somebody's got to stay here and start giving them shotgun 101. Besides, Alec will stay here if you stay with him."_

 _"Alec's gonna go with you no matter what," Sam argued. "And Ellen can teach them how to use a shotgun."_

 _Sam started to go up the stairs, but Dean reached out and stopped him. "No, no, no. It's gonna go a lot faster if you stay and help, ok?"_

 _"While you go get guns_ and _salt_ and _look for Jo and Rufus? That's stupid," Sam said._

 _"I can handle it," Dean replied. This was a pointless argument. Dean really shouldn't go out there alone and he knew it, but apparently he didn't trust Sam enough to let him help._

 _"You don't want me going out there," Sam stated._

 _"I didn't say that," Dean said._

 _"Around demons," Sam said._

 _"I didn't say that," Dean repeated._

 _"Fine, then let's go," Sam said, walking up the stairs._

 _Dean huffed but followed after him. "Stay with me, ok?" Dean whispered to him as they walked upstairs._

 _"Ok," he whispered back._

 _"I'll get the salt. You get the guns," Sam said once they were outside._

 _Dean put him down and handed him his gun again, "We'll go together."_

 _"Dean, it's right there," Sam said. "Can we at least do this like professionals?"_

 _Sam walked off, and Dean watched him go, but didn't follow him. He walked over to the sporting goods store instead, motioning for him to stay close._

 _He looked around curiously at all the stuff in the store. He didn't know what a lot of it was, but it looked cool. He grabbed a couple of knives on the way by one of the stands and stuffed them in his pockets. He didn't know if he was going to get in trouble for taking them, but he wanted to be fully armed. Salt rounds weren't going to be enough against humans._

 _Dean grabbed a bunch of guns and put them in bags to take back to the ordinaries. It didn't take him long to grab as many as he could, and then they were back out on the street. Dean frowned when they walked outside, and Sam wasn't there. They hadn't come up with a rendezvous point before they had split up, which was a terrible idea. They didn't have any plan at all._

 _"C'mon kiddo," Dean whispered. "Somethin's not right…" Dean ran over to the store that Sam had gone into, and he easily kept up. Dean seemed to know right where to go and stopped at the aisle where Sam was. There were two dead people on the ground, but Sam looked ok. "Sammy?" Dean asked. He looked up at Dean, but he couldn't figure out what the look on his face meant. Maybe this was what Dean had been afraid of when they split up. But he should look happier that Sam was ok than he did._

* * *

 _"You think you should be touching that, young man?" Ellen asked._

 _He scowled up at the lady, "I know how to use a gun. I'm not an idiot." He looked over to where Sam and Dean were sitting, talking to each other. They had been teaching the ordinaries how to use gun for a while now, and he'd gotten bored. He wanted to do something, or even better, he wanted Dean to pay attention to him, but there was a job to do and he needed to be quiet. Dean didn't say that he needed to stay out of the way and be quiet, but he knew he needed to._

 _Ellen looked at him in surprise, "Don't take that tone with me, mister."_

 _"My name's Alec," he stated. He liked his name. He wanted people to use his name when they talked to him, not call him stupid names like 'young man' or 'mister'. He didn't like 'squirt' either, but he liked it when Dean called him 'kiddo'. But only Dean, and ok, Sam too, could call him kiddo._

 _"You're not so good at respecting your elders, are you?" Ellen asked. He didn't say anything because he didn't know what he could say without getting in trouble. "I'm guessin' your Dad doesn't want you playing with that gun, especially without him watching you, so you shouldn't touch it."_

 _He rolled his eyes and quickly took apart the gun, and then put it back together. "I think I'm good, thanks," he said, walking away from her. He looked back, but he didn't like the suspicious look that she was giving him. He might have blown their cover…He shouldn't have done that. Normal kids probably weren't able to handle guns like he could. He messed up._

 _He ran over to Dean and crawled up onto his lap. Dean automatically wrapped his arms around him, but he was still talking to Sam about something. "Come on, Sam, you had to," Dean defended whatever Sam had said before. He should've been paying more attention to Sam and Dean instead of blowing their cover to that woman._

 _"I know. I just…it used to be like…" Sam hesitated, so he either didn't want to start another argument, or he didn't know what it used to be like, or at least, couldn't put it into words. "I just wish I could save people like I used to."_

 _"What, you mean when you were all hopped up on demon blood?" Dean asked sarcastically. He frowned and turned to look at Dean, but he looked really serious. Definitely an old argument that these two had a lot._

 _"I didn't say that," Sam said, glancing at him._

 _Ellen suddenly walked over to them, so he quickly moved around until he could hide against Dean again. He hoped Ellen wouldn't talk to him or call Dean out on their blown cover. "I'll be back," Ellen said._

 _"Where you going?" Dean asked._

 _"I can't sit here on my ass," Ellen said. "My daughter's out there somewhere. I'm not back in half an hour, go. Get these people out of here."_

 _Dean stood up, so he quickly wrapped his arms around the man's neck. Suddenly getting picked up was a very weird feeling, and it startled him when it happened. "No, wait. I'll go with you," Sam said._

 _"Whoa, hold on. Can I talk to you for a second?" Dean asked. Sam didn't look happy, but he followed Dean to another room, away from everyone else. "You're gonna go out there again?" Dean asked._

 _"Well, shi-" Sam stopped suddenly to look at him before he continued, "Crap doesn't hit the fan with coffee breaks."_

 _"I'll go," Dean said. "You and Alec stay here."_

 _"I could go," Alec suggested._

 _"No," Sam and Dean said at the same time._

 _"It's fine," Sam said. "Just stay here, get 'em ready, I'll cover Ellen."_

 _"Why's it gotta be you?" Dean asked._

 _"Oh, that's right, I forgot," Sam said. "You think I'll take one look at a demon and suddenly fall off the wagon, as if, after everything, I haven't learned my lesson."_

 _"Well, have you?" Dean asked._

 _Sam took a menacing step towards Dean but stopped when Dean turned as if to protect him. Sam took a deep breath, and then said, "If you actually think I…" He stopped, shook his head, and then left the room._

 _Dean watched Sam go, and surprisingly, he didn't try to stop him again. Ellen and Sam left, and Dean waited until they were completely gone before he walked back into the other room._

 _"What did you mean about the 'hopped up on demon blood' thing?" Alec asked, playing with Dean's collar. He already missed Dean's necklace. He'd liked playing with it, and now it was gone. He wished Trenchcoat would just hurry up and give it back already._

 _"It's a long story, kiddo," Dean muttered, sitting down again._

 _"I already figured out that Sam was somehow obtaining demon blood…ingesting it maybe? And that it made him do things that he shouldn't, which makes sense because demons seem pretty bad. And I'm guessing that you told him not to, but he did it anyway and it caused a big problem, which is why you two fight about it all the time," Alec said, refusing to look up at Dean to know if he was mad or not._

 _But Dean was just sitting there not saying anything, which was making him nervous. He finally looked up and saw that Dean was giving him a small smile. "I'm gonna have to get used to how smart you are," Dean said._

 _"It's not like you were keeping it a secret," Alec said, looking down again._

 _But Dean gently tipped his chin up and said, "We were trying to protect you from the truth, but that's not gonna work, huh?"_

 _"No," he said._

 _"Well, you were right about everything," Dean said. "Sam was drinking demon blood, I told him not to, he did it anyway, and then started the apocalypse because of it. I'm afraid that he's gonna do it again. He's gonna fall off the wagon." He frowned since he didn't know what that meant. "That's what people say when someone who's addicted to something quits, but then messes up and does it again."_

 _"Oh," he said._

 _"But I don't know…maybe I should give him more trust than I am," Dean said. Dean was quiet for a few seconds, but then changed the subject, "You've gotta be hungry. Let's see if this place has any food." He wrapped his arms around Dean's neck because the man had gotten up again. Dean was really tall, so getting up suddenly was a little frightening sometimes. He wasn't used to being carried, but he kind of liked it, even if it was going to take some getting used to. "Where do you guys keep the snacks?" Dean asked the pregnant lady. She pointed over to another door, so Dean thanked her and headed to what was a kitchen. "What kind of snacks do you like?" Dean asked him as he looked through the fridge._

 _"I don't know," Alec said._

 _Dean held him closer for a second, and he felt like he couldn't really breathe, but then he loosened his arms again. He didn't know what that was about, but it kept happening. He didn't want to ask what it meant, but he was still curious about it. "Do you like peanut butter and jelly?" Dean asked. He shrugged since he didn't know what that was. "Are you allergic to peanut butter? Do you know?"_

 _"I'm not allergic to anything," Alec said._

 _"We can try a PB &J and if you don't like it, we'll try something else," Dean said. _

_"Really?" Alec asked, surprised._

 _"Well, yeah, I'm not gonna make you eat something you don't like," Dean said. Dean made him a sandwich, and they sat down at a little table that was in the kitchen. He took a huge bite of the sandwich, and he was surprised that he actually really liked it. The meals at Manticore had no flavor, but this was almost overwhelming with all the flavor. "You like it?" Dean asked._

 _"It's so good!" Alec said. Dean laughed because he talked with his mouth full, so he still wasn't getting into trouble for things. That was good to know._

 _"You like stickin' with me so far?" Dean asked. He nodded and took another big bite since he didn't want to say something bad about Manticore. He didn't want to talk about Manticore at all. Dean ran his hand through his hair, so he leaned back against his chest, still eating his sandwich. "I've got so much to teach you…"_

 _He turned and looked up at Dean in confusion, "Like what? We were already up to college level courses when I left."_

 _"Not school stuff," Dean said. "I gotta teach you good stuff like music and food and all about the Impala, and y'know, stuff that kids do."_

 _"I like this," he said, holding up his sandwich. He didn't know about everything else Dean had said, but he liked the sandwich._

 _"Well, there's even better food comin'," Dean said. "The best thing in the world is pie, and don't let anyone tell you any different."_

 _"I don't know what that is," Alec said._

 _"See, that's why I have so much to teach you," Dean said. He finished his sandwich, but he wished he had another one. He was still hungry, but he wasn't going to say anything. "You want something else to eat, or did that fill you up?" Dean asked._

 _"You mean I can have more?" Alec asked._

 _"Oh kiddo," Dean said, sounding sad. He turned around, so he could see Dean. "Alec, I want you to tell me if you're hungry, or tired, or hurt. If you need anything at all, I want you to tell me, ok?"_

 _"I don't know…" he whispered._

 _"Alec-"_

 _"There were scheduled bathroom breaks there, and we were only allowed to eat during meal time, and we couldn't have anything extra even if we were still hungry, and we didn't want to go to the Infirmary because it was scary there," Alec said as fast as he could. "I'm not supposed to say anything."_

 _"Everything's different now that you're with me," Dean said. "I'm takin' care of you now, but I gotta know if you need something. I'm not good at this yet, so you're gonna have to clue me in, ok?"_

 _"Ok," he whispered._

 _"So, do you want another sandwich?" Dean asked. He looked away from Dean but nodded. "Alright, you sit tight, I'll make another one." Dean picked him up and put him back on the chair before he started making another sandwich for him. "You wanna try a soda too?" Dean asked._

 _"I don't know what that is," he said._

 _"It's a bubbly drink," Dean said. That sounded really weird. "It's good. I drink 'em all the time," Dean said, smiling._

 _"Ok," Alec said. Dean walked back over to him, and set the food and the soda, which was in an orange can, on the table. He reached out for Dean without thinking, but he wanted to sit on Dean's lap again. Dean smiled instead of getting mad though and picked him up before sitting down again. "Can I try the…orange soda…first?" Alec asked, reading the side of the can as he said what he thought was the name._

 _Dean opened the can, and then held it for him to take. He took a sip, but then pulled it away when it felt like bubbles went up his nose. Dean laughed, "What do you think?"_

 _"There are bubbles up my nose," Alec said. Dean laughed some more, so he took another sip. "I like it even with the weird bubbles."_

 _"That's carbonation," Dean said. "Luckily, this soda doesn't have caffeine in it, so you won't have double the energy."_

 _"Can I try that soda too?" Alec asked._

 _"We'll save that one for another time," Dean said._

 _He ate the second sandwich, and he and Dean shared the soda, and then he heard footsteps coming down the stairs from the entrance. He looked up at Dean, but he didn't say anything because he didn't want to tell him how different he was yet. Dean kept saying that he wanted him to stay, but what would happen when he found out how different he really was?_

 _"All done?" Dean asked, looking to the other room. Someone was pounding on the door now, so Dean knew something was going on. He nodded that he was done, so Dean stood up again and walked back into the main room. Ellen walked in, and he looked to see where Sam was, but he wasn't in the room and he didn't come in behind her. "Where's Sam?" Dean asked. Ellen shook her head no, which was a terrible way to respond to that question because he immediately thought that Sam was dead._

 _"They took him?" the pregnant lady asked. "Demons took him? Oh my God. What if they're in here? The demons?"_

 _"Could they get in?" the pastor asked._

 _"No," Dean said. Dean grabbed one of the shotguns and headed for the door. "Everybody sit tight. I got to…" Dean trailed off and looked at him before he turned back to look at everyone else. He took a deep breath, and then said, "Ok, we need to get a plan together. Tell me everything."_

* * *

 _"Dean, one of them's in Jo," Ellen said. "We got to get it out without hurting her." He nodded and ran his hand through Alec's hair. He hated that a demon had possessed Jo, but it was even worse that Sam wasn't here. And he really wished that he would've left Alec back at the hospital. "It called me a bitch," Ellen said._

 _"Bruise a little easy, don't you think?" Dean asked._

 _"No, that's not what I meant. It called me a black-eyed bitch," Ellen said. That didn't sound like demons. "What kind of demons are these? Holy water and salt roll right off. My daughter may be an idiot, but she's not stupid."_

 _"What?" Alec asked. "That doesn't make sense."_

 _"She wears an anti-possession charm," Ellen explained. "She makes a lot of dumb choices, but she's not stupid, so she wouldn't take the charm off and let herself be possessed. It's all kind of weird, right?"_

 _"The whole thing's off," Dean agreed. And he remembered that he needed to get Alec an anti-possession charm. He didn't want his little boy taken away from him by one of those things. By anything really._

 _"What's your instinct?" Ellen asked._

 _"My instinct? My instinct is to call Bobby and ask for help. Or Sam," Dean said._

 _"Well, tough. All you got's me, and all I got's you," Ellen said. "So let's figure it out."_

 _"Alright," Dean said. "Do you know why Rufus came to town? Was there a specific omen?"_

 _"He said something about water. That's all I know," Ellen said._

 _"Padre, you know what she's talking about…the water?" Dean asked, looking over at the pastor._

 _"The river. Ran polluted all of a sudden," the pastor said._

 _"When?" Dean asked._

 _"Last Wednesday. And the demon thing started up the next day," the military guy said._

 _"Anything else? Anything," Dean said, looking around the room._

 _"Maybe, but it's pretty random," military guy said._

 _"Good. Random's good," Dean said. Get on with it already. He wanted to get this over with._

 _"Shooting star…does that count?" the guy asked. He looked over at Ellen and knew she was thinking the same thing. "Real big. Same night. Wednesday."_

 _"That definitely counts," Dean said. He stood up, hiding his smile when Alec quickly wrapped his little arms around him, and walked over to the bookshelf. He immediately spotted the Bible, but he took a second to look since he kind of liked holding Alec. He felt like he could protect the little boy when he was holding him. He could make things better for him. It hurt every time Alec admitted that he didn't know something that every kid should know. He wanted to change what had happened to Alec, but the best he could do was make things better now. He did smile when Alec snuggled against his neck._

 _He grabbed the Bible after another moment, and then head back to the table. He flipped through the pages, and Alec turned a little to see what he was doing._

 _"So, uh, you think that all this comes from outer space?" military asked._

 _"This isn't X-Files, pal," he muttered. He finally found what he was looking for, and read, "'And there fell a great star from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell upon the river, and the name of the star was Wormwood. And many men died.'"_

 _"Revelation eight ten," the pastor said. "Are you saying that this is about the apocalypse?"_

 _"You could say," Dean said. "And these specific omens, they're prelude to what?"_

 _"The Four Horsemen," the pastor said._

 _"And which one rides the red horse?" Dean asked._

 _"War," the pastor answered._

 _"That cherry Mustang parked on Main," Dean said. He looked over at Ellen, and she nodded back in agreement._

 _"You can't think that a car-"_

 _"It's the way I'd roll," Dean said. "I mean, think about it. It all makes sense. If War is a dude and he's here, maybe he's messing with our heads."_

 _"Turning us on each other," Ellen said._

 _"Making war," Alec whispered. He knew Alec was a genius, but it still surprised him every time Alec completely understood what was going on. He couldn't believe Alec had figured everything out about Sam, but he had, and now he understood better than everyone else in the room what was going on._

 _"Yeah," Dean said, rubbing Alec's back. "You said Jo called you a black-eyed bitch. They think we're demons, we think they're demons. What if there are no demons at all and we're all just killing each other?"_

 _"Wait, just back up. It's the apocalypse?" the pastor asked._

 _He saw Alec roll his eyes, and it took everything he had to not smile. "Sorry, Padre," he said instead._

 _The room was quiet as they took everything in. He didn't have time for them to get over the fact that the world was coming to an end. He wanted to get Sam back and get out of this town, sooner rather than later._

 _"Um…Dad?" Alec whispered._

 _He startled a little since he wasn't used to Alec calling him Dad, but then he said, "Yeah kiddo?"_

 _"I have to go to the bathroom," Alec whispered._

 _"Then let's find a bathroom," Dean said with an encouraging smile. He had to make sure Alec knew that it was ok to tell him when he needed something. They had a lot of work to do to get to know each other, but he knew they'd get there. He took Alec to the bathroom, but he frowned when Alec came out since his little boy looked sad. He crouched down to be on Alec's level and asked, "What's up, kiddo?"_

 _"I have to tell you something," Alec said._

 _"What is it?" he asked. Alec bit his bottom lip and looked away from him. "Alec, you can tell me anything."_

 _"Promise you won't…"_

 _"I promise you're staying with me," Dean reassured when Alec trailed off. "Nothing you tell me will make me change my mind."_

 _"I haven't told you everything about…me," Alec said. "I…I had a file, but I accidently left it at the motel room. I shouldn't have left it there…I'll get in big trouble if Manticore finds out."_

 _"Alec, I don't want you to worry about Manticore anymore," Dean said. He reached out and gently turned Alec, so he would look at him again. "And Sam found your file in the motel room." Alec's eyes widened with panic, but he quickly continued before Alec could say anything, "Sam read it, but I couldn't look at it. It made me sick to think about what they did to you, and I wanted you to be the one to tell me when you felt safe enough to talk to me. I know the basics, but I was gonna leave the rest up to you."_

 _"So you know I can do things?" Alec asked, tears filling his eyes._

 _"I know, and I think you're awesome Alec," he said. Alec suddenly threw his arms around his neck, and he felt tears against his skin. He held Alec close and reassured, "It's ok, kiddo. I'm never kicking you out. You're stayin' with me and I'm gonna take care of you."_

 _"I was afraid to tell you," Alec whispered._

 _"I know, but it's ok," Dean said. "You just tell me things when you're ready."_

 _"Ok," Alec said._

 _He pulled back slightly and gently wiped away the tears that were still on Alec's cheeks. "You wanna raid the kitchen again? I think I saw some milk in the fridge," Dean said._

 _Alec nodded, so he picked him up again and took him back to the kitchen. He got Alec a cup of milk, and his little boy smiled happily after the first sip. "I like milk."_

 _"It's that cat DNA, huh?" Dean gently teased. Luckily Alec gave him an even bigger smile and took another drink._

 _He let Alec finish his milk before he went back to the main room. It was time to get Sam back._

 _"So now you're saying that there are no demons and war is a guy," the military guy said, walking up to him as soon as he was in the room._

 _"You believed crazy before," Dean said._

 _Someone suddenly started pounding against the door. "Open up! It's Roger!" The military guy went and opened the door like a moron. "I saw them, the demons," Roger said. Obviously this guy wasn't here when they figured everything out. "They know we're trying to leave. They said they're gonna pick us off one by one."_

 _"Wait, wait, wait. What?" Dean asked. That didn't make sense. If this guy heard any of the others talking, then they definitely wouldn't have said that._

 _"I thought you said there were no demons," military guy said._

 _"There's not. Where did you go?" Dean demanded._

 _"I thought someone should go out and see what's going on!" Roger said like it was obvious._

 _"Where did you see the demons and what did they say exactly?" Dean asked. Alec's arms tightened around his neck. He looked at Alec, but his little boy was staring at Roger's ring._

 _"We just sit here, we're going to be dead," military guy said._

 _"No, we're not!" he argued._

 _"They're gonna kill us unless we kill them first," Roger said._

 _"Hold on. Hold on," Dean said. He needed to calm everyone down and figure out what the hell was going on._

 _"No, man, we got people to protect," military guy said. "Alright, the able-bodied go hunt some demons."_

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow your roll," Dean said as the guy picked up a gun and handed it to someone else. "This is not a demon thing."_

 _"Look at their eyes! They're demons!" Roger yelled, pointing at him, Alec, and Ellen._

 _The pastor of all people raised his gun and aimed at them. "Go, go!" he yelled. He hadn't realized Ellen was behind him, but now he was glad that she was. He wouldn't have been able to get the door open fast enough while he was holding Alec. But he took off running as soon as it was open._

 _He heard the shotgun blast, but he didn't feel the pain of getting hit. He checked Alec while he ran and was relieved to see that he was ok too. He didn't stop running until they were well past the church. He ran behind another building and waited for Ellen to come around the corner._

 _"You ok?" he asked._

 _"Fine," Ellen said. "You ok?"_

 _He looked down at Alec, who nodded back. "We're ok," Dean said._

 _"Now what?" Ellen asked._

 _"Let's go get Sam, Jo, and Rufus and try to stop everyone from killing each other," Dean said. He carefully put Alec down, but then crouched down in front of him. "You stay with me no matter what, ok kiddo?"_

 _"Ok Dad," Alec whispered._

 _He ruffled Alec's hair before he stood up again but smiled a little when Alec's tiny hand grabbed his own. "You know where they're stayin?" Dean asked._

 _"Yeah, follow me," Ellen said._

* * *

 _He followed behind Dean to the house where Ellen had said Sam would be. He kind of wanted to hold Dean's hand again, but he just stayed behind him. He was a soldier, not a little kid. Ellen went another way, but he stayed with Dean. They would find Sam, and then he wasn't sure what was next, but Dean would know what to do. They just had to find Sam first._

 _Dean motioned for him to stay where he was, so he stopped and hid behind a chair that was on the porch. He wanted to help, but after disobeying orders last time, he didn't want to mess up again. Dean smashed the window suddenly and dragged another man out._

 _Dean slammed the man to the ground, but then hauled him up again to slam him against the wall. "Listen to me," Dean said. "I'm not a demon. Think, Rufus. All those omens."_

 _"You go to hell," the man, who must be Rufus, said._

 _Rufus suddenly kicked Dean back, and then hit him a few times. He started forward, but Dean shot him a quick look before he grabbed Rufus again and pushed him back against the wall. "Rufus! The polluted water, the shooting star, the red Mustang…it's War. I'm telling you, it's War."_

 _"You're damn right it is," Rufus said. He rolled his eyes since this guy wasn't getting it._

 _Rufus hit Dean again, and then started for a gun. Dean tackled him before he could get to it and yelled, "The Horseman!"_

 _"Horseman?" Rufus asked, confused. At least confused was better than angry. He didn't like Rufus hitting Dean, and he didn't like sitting around and just watching it happen. He wanted to help, but he didn't want to get in trouble._

 _"Yes. He's turning us against each other. You're hallucinating," Dean said._

 _"The Horseman. War," Rufus said._

 _"Yes," Dean said._

 _"Did you figure this out all by yourself, genius?" Rufus asked. Dean slowly let Rufus go before he looked over at him and nodded. He ran over to Dean but hid behind his leg because that's what a little kid would probably do in this situation. Rufus frowned at him before he looked up at Dean. "There's another one of you?" Rufus asked._

 _"This is Alec," Dean said. "And Ellen went inside."_

 _"Alright, Sam's in there too," Rufus grumbled._

 _Dean grabbed his hand again, which made him smile, but he made sure to still hide behind Dean's leg. They went inside, but Dean immediately pushed him further behind himself when Ellen pointed a shotgun at them. That was getting pretty annoying. "Whoa, whoa!" Dean said, putting his hand up to tell her to not shoot them._

 _"We all on the same page?" Ellen asked._

 _Dean and Rufus nodded, so Ellen lowered the shotgun. "Good," Rufus said._

 _"Hi, Jo," Dean said. He peeked around Dean's leg to see a pretty blonde girl, who must be Jo._

 _"Hey," Jo said. "Who's that?"_

 _"This is Alec," Dean said, turning to pick him up again. Jo smiled at him, so he quickly wrapped his arms around Dean's neck and hid against him. Kids did that, so it wasn't weird that he did it too. But he was nervous to meet her. She was pretty and he didn't like meeting a lot of new people. He had always been around the same people all his life. Doctors, guards, scientists, other transgenics…he wasn't used to actually meeting new people. At least Dean was here._

 _"Hey Alec, my name's Jo," she said._

 _"Suddenly he's got a shy side," Dean said with a chuckle._

 _"That's ok," Jo said. She sounded sad, so he peeked over at her to see what was wrong. "How old is he?"_

 _"Alec, you wanna tell her how old you are?" Dean asked. He shook his head no and quickly hid again. "He's nine. I just got him not too long ago."_

 _"His Mom?" Jo asked._

 _"She passed away," Dean said. Jo nodded, but she still looked sad. "Ok, we got to find War before everybody in this town kills each-" Dean ducked down with him as soon as the gunfire started. "Damn it! Where's Sam?"_

 _"Upstairs," Rufus said._

 _Dean put him down, but grabbed his hand, "Follow me, ok kiddo?"_

 _"Ok," he said with a nod._

 _He followed Dean through the house, and thankfully, they found Sam a few minutes later. "Dean, it's not demons," Sam said as soon as he saw them._

 _"It's War," Sam and Dean said at the same time._

 _"I just can't figure out how he's doing it," Dean said. Dean walked over to Sam and started untying him while still keeping an eye on him._

 _"The ring," he and Sam said at the same time. Sam and Dean both looked at him, so he rolled his eyes. Maybe someday they would actually understand what the word 'genius' meant._

 _"That's right," Dean said, ruffling his hair. "He turned it right before he made everybody hallucinate and go hellbitch."_

 _"Dean," Sam said before he glanced at him. "Watch the language around him."_

 _"Whatever," Dean grumbled. "We got to move. Come on."_

 _They left the house, but Dean made him hide once they were on the street. He watched from the corner of a house as Roger, or War, walked over to the red Mustang. Sam and Dean were fast as they ran over to War and slammed him against the car. Sam pulled out a knife while Dean held War down._

 _"Whoa. Ok," War said. "That's a sweet little knife. But come on. You can't kill war, kiddos," War said._

 _"Oh, we know," Dean said._

 _Sam grabbed War's hand and sliced off four fingers. The ring fell to the pavement, and Dean bent down to pick it up. His eyes widened in surprise when War and the Mustang disappeared._

* * *

 _"So, pit stop at Mount Doom?" Dean asked, looking at the ring._

 _"Mount Doom?" he asked._

 _"I'll explain it later," Dean said, pulling him against his side. "Here, you want hold onto it for a while?"_

 _"Sure," he said with a smile. He took the ring from Dean and leaned against him just a little more._

 _"Dean-"_

 _"Sam, let's not," Dean cut off. He sighed to himself because this sounded like they were going to start fighting again._

 _"No, listen. This is important. I know you don't trust me," Sam said. "Just, now I realize something. I don't trust me either." Dean's arm tightened around him again, but he didn't say anything. "From the minute I saw that blood, only thought in my head…and I tell myself it's for the right reasons, my intentions are good, and it, it feels true, you know? But I think, underneath…I just miss the feeling. I know how messed up that sounds, which means I know how messed up I am. Thing is, the problem's not the demon blood, not really. I mean, I, what I did, I can't blame the blood on Ruby or…anything. The problem's me. How far I'll go. There's something in me that…scares the hell out of me, Dean. In the last couple of days, I caught another glimpse…"_

 _"So what are you saying?" Dean asked._

 _"I'm in no shape to be hunting. I need to step back, 'cause I'm dangerous. Maybe it's best we just…go our separate ways," Sam said._

 _He looked up at Dean to see what he was thinking, but he couldn't really tell. "Well, I think you're right," Dean finally said._

 _"I was expecting a fight," Sam muttered._

 _"The truth is, I spend more time worrying about you than about doing the job right," Dean said. "And I just…I can't afford that, you know? Not now." Dean looked down at him and ran his hand through his hair. Was he meaning that he couldn't worry about Sam because he had him to worry about now? Dean didn't have to worry about him, but it was kind of nice to think that he might be. He kind of liked the idea of someone watching out for him._

 _"I'm sorry, Dean," Sam said._

 _"I know you are, Sam," Dean said. Sam stood up, which made him frown. Was he leaving right now? "Hey, do you, uh, wanna take the Impala?"_

 _"It's ok," Sam said. Sam took a few steps away from them before he stopped and looked back. "Take care of yourself, Dean."_

 _"Yeah, you too, Sammy," Dean said. Sam gave him a little wave before he walked over to the Impala. He grabbed his backpack, and then walked over to a pickup truck and got in._

 _"Why did he have to go?" Alec asked once the truck drove away._

 _"Because I don't trust him right now and my job is to keep you safe," Dean said. "I can't do that if I'm more focused on everything that Sam's doing instead of watching out for you."_

 _"You won't make me go, right?" Alec whispered._

 _"No Alec, I won't make you go. You're stuck with me," Dean reassured. Dean ruffled his hair before he picked him up and carried him to the Impala. "How 'bout we take a drive, huh?"_

 _"Ok," he said._

 _"Next stop is pie!" Dean said._

 _"Pie!" he yelled excitedly. He didn't want Sam to go, but at least he got to stay with Dean. He was more comfortable around Dean anyway, so this was still ok. He wrapped his arms around Dean and let him carry him the rest of the way to the car._

* * *

Present

"Hey, your turn to sleep," Ben said, shaking his shoulder. He'd jumped at the contact, and then nearly growled at himself for dropping his guard enough that his own brother had surprised him, but then shook his head no. "Alec, you gotta sleep. I'll keep watch even though you know I think this is insane, but I'm not gonna let you stay up another night. You have to sleep."

"I'm not tired," he lied. He was exhausted, but they had to find Dad and Uncle Sam. The problem was that they weren't getting anywhere and every day that Crowley, Ketch, Rowena, and Gabriel stayed with them made it harder for him to let his guard down. Especially with Crowley here. He didn't mind Gabriel. He trusted Rowena for the most part. Ketch was a nuisance. But Crowley…he felt sick just being in the same building as the demon. Every time he tried to sleep, he was brought back to the time he'd been held captive. It was terrifying. "Besides, we still don't have any leads," Alec muttered when Ben still wouldn't budge.

"We're not gonna find the answer in a day," Ben said, for what must have been the millionth time.

"Obviously we're not gonna find the answer in a week either," Alec snapped. Ben just looked at him as if saying 'I know you're only snapping at me because you're tired, which means you need to sleep'. He glared at his brother even though he knew if he could sleep, then it would help his mood, and would probably make it easier to research, but even if he tried to sleep it would still be bad.

"You're gonna pass out eventually," Ben tried to reason. "Why not do it where you're comfortable?"

He finally decided to just grab the book that he'd been looking through and walked off. He would go to Dad's room, since that's where he'd been going the few times he'd even tried to sleep, but he would keep researching. He just wanted to get away from Ben, or more accurately, everyone else, just for a little while. He wouldn't sleep, but he could hide for a while. No one but Ben would come looking for him, and Ben would know better than to come find him. Hopefully his brother thought that he was going to try to sleep like he'd told him to.

He walked down the hallway by himself, thankful that Ben wasn't planning on following him, until he made it to Dad's room. He went inside and laid down in his spot, but unfortunately, his plan didn't work. He fell asleep without meaning to but woke up a while later from a terrible dream. It wasn't really a dream since it had actually happened, but he had tried so hard to forget everything. And now thanks to Crowley, it was all coming back.

His stomach cramped suddenly, making him curl up against the pain. That had kept happening too. Even though transgenics didn't need as much sleep as humans did, he still needed to sleep more than he was. And the added stress wasn't helping. He'd been getting nose bleeds, stomach cramps, headaches, he needed to sleep, but he couldn't.

"Alec, it's me," Ben said softly from the other side of the door. He quickly sat up and tried to pretend he was ok. "You want some food?"

"Yeah…aright," he said. It wouldn't do him any good to refuse since Ben was going to practically force feed him either way.

Ben walked in with a sandwich on a plate and handed it to him. "You didn't sleep much," Ben said, sitting on the bed next to him. He took a big bite of his sandwich, savoring the delicious peanut butter and jelly that stuck to the roof of his mouth. At least his brother brought him one of his favorites to eat. "I brought some milk too…if you want it," Ben said.

"Alright," he said with his mouth full. Ben let him eat and left him alone until he was completely done. "What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"Rowena found something," Ben said.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"She thinks she found a spell to try," Ben said. "And Gabriel and Crowley went to get the supplies."

"You waited until I was done eating to tell me," he accused.

"Yeah, because I knew that you'd drop it as soon as I told you what was going on," Ben said. "You needed to eat."

"We need to find Dad more," Alec argued.

"No Alec," Ben said. "I wanna find Dad as much as you do, but I need you to be safe more. You're my brother, and I know that being around Crowley this much is freaking you out, but we'll find Dad, I know we will. But he's gonna want us to be ok when we find him."

"Luckily Rowena found something," he said. "Now we don't have to worry about it."

"Alec…"

"Let's gear up," Alec said. "We're about to find Dad and Uncle Sam."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Present

"So, this is supposed to send us to the alternate universe where Dad and Uncle Sam are?" Alec asked. He wasn't sure about this. They'd been looking for anything to help them find Dad and Uncle Sam ever since they had disappeared, but this didn't really sound like a good plan. This sounded like the exact thing that Dad would tell them not to do. But he really wanted his Dad back. He knew Dad was going to be pissed when he found out what they did, but he needed to have his family back together again.

"Yes," Rowena said. "All I need is some blood from one of you, and that should open the door to the alternate universe where Sam and Dean are," Rowena said.

"Should?" Alec asked. They were in the library around the table, and even though he still didn't want Crowley or Ketch to be there, he didn't tell them to go away. If they were going to do this, then he, Ben, and Gabriel could go. He didn't want Crowley or Ketch coming with them, but they were going to another universe and they had no idea what to expect. It would be better to have the backup, even if they didn't trust the people who were backing them up. Dad was going to hate everything about this.

"Alec, this is the closest thing we've found," Ben whispered to him. Ben wanted their family back together again too, but he expected his brother to argue about doing this more than he had. This was the first real lead that they'd found, but maybe they should keep looking. They could find something better…probably. But if Dad and Uncle Sam were in danger, then they needed to do this so they could help them. He didn't know anything about alternate universes, so he was probably just worried because of that.

"Dad's gonna be pissed," Alec muttered. But it would be ok if Dad was mad at them, as long as they found him. They had to get Dad and Uncle Sam back. He loved Ben, but they needed Dad and Uncle Sam with them. They were stronger as a family. Besides, if Dad and Uncle Sam were here, then they would tell Crowley to go away. He needed Crowley to leave.

"How long will we have to find them?" Ben asked.

"24 hours," Rowena said.

"Wait, can't you do another spell if the…whatever it is…closes?" Alec asked. That wasn't enough time. They had no idea what they were getting into, and they had no idea where Dad and Uncle Sam would be. They would need more than a day to find them, and then get back.

"I can, but there's no guarantee that it will work a second time," Rowena said.

"There's no guarantee it'll work the first time either," Alec said. Rowena gave him a look that clearly told him to keep it to himself if he wasn't going to say anything useful. He rolled his eyes, but that just made her smile slightly. He was glad he decided to let her go the first time they'd met her. He knew Dad didn't really like Rowena that much, but he liked her. She'd helped them more than she'd hurt them, and he knew she wouldn't suggest this if she didn't think it was going to work.

"Alec, we have to try," Ben said.

"Dad wouldn't want us to do this half-assed," Alec said. "You know I want to find them, but we can't die doing it." Getting stuck over there wouldn't help anyone. They needed to make sure they could get back if they did this.

"The door will stay open for 24 hours," Rowena said. "You can take a look around, try to find them, and then come back before the door closes. If you don't find them, then we can try again."

"She's right," Ben said. "At least we can get an idea of where they're at, and then come up with another plan if we need to."

"Alright," he said with a nod. He ignored the pain in his back, thinking it was probably just because he was nervous about this. "Do you have any idea what universe they're in?" If there was one alternate universe, then there was probably more. And now that he thought about it, they had technically been to an alternate universe already where they were all actors and the supernatural wasn't real, it was just a TV show. Maybe Dad and Uncle Sam were just in a universe like that one. That would be ok. They would still have to find them somehow, but at least that universe was similar enough to theirs that they could easily survive. Hopefully they were in a universe like that.

"No," Rowena said.

"What about you?" Alec asked, glaring over at Crowley. He didn't want Crowley here, but he was, so he might as well help.

Crowley glared back, "No. I don't know."

"Fine. Me and Ben will go in, we'll try to find them, and then we'll come back," Alec said.

"We're going with you," Gabriel said.

"You can come with us," Alec said. Obviously bringing an archangel was a smart move, so there was no way he was going to tell Gabriel to stay behind. "But I don't want Crowley or Ketch coming with us." He knew they would need more backup, but he couldn't just suggest that Crowley go with them. He felt sick just thinking about it.

"You're going to want all the backup you can get," Ketch said. "You're going to a universe where you have no idea what to expect. You will need all of us."

"Alec, he's right. We'll need help," Ben whispered to him. Ben put his hand on his shoulder, and he couldn't help but flinch a little. He didn't want Crowley to go, but he knew they needed help.

"Fine, whatever," he snapped, shrugging Ben's hand off of him. Ben would know he was just freaking out, and he wouldn't take it personally. Ben was just trying to help him. "Just do the spell. I want to get this over with."

"I'll need some blood," Rowena said. "The spell is supposed to connect to someone who has been to the universe before."

"Which we haven't been," Alec muttered.

"But since you technically are Dean, then this should connect you to him," Rowena said.

"There's that 'should' again," he said.

"This has never been tried before," Rowena said. "Forgive me for not knowing all the answers."

"Do you want to try it or not, chipmunk," Crowley asked. His stomach turned at Crowley's pet name for him. He swallowed hard and tried to focus on getting Dad and Uncle Sam back.

"How much blood?" Ben asked, knowing he was about to be sick and that he needed to focus on something else. He could also tell that Ben was a second away from attacking Crowley for him, so he needed to focus on something else too. It wouldn't do them any good to get into a fight with Crowley, not when they were so close to getting Dad back.

"To be on the safe side, we should use some for the spell, and then leave some with me in case I need to do the spell again," Rowena said.

Rowena put two jars on the table, so he and Ben both grabbed one. He got his knife out of his pocket and sliced his hand, letting his blood drip into the jar. Ben did the same thing, and then went and grabbed the first aid kit from the other side of the room once the jars were full. He let Ben wrap his hand with gauze while Rowena took his jar of blood.

"You sure about this?" he whispered as Ben carefully wrapped his hand; tight enough to stop the bleeding, but not too tight.

"We need Dad and Uncle Sam back, and this is the best we've come up with," Ben whispered back. "We didn't go to hell for no reason, right?"

He smiled a little and nodded before he said, "I still don't like Crowley going with us…"

"I know. But once we find Dad, then he can tell him to go away," Ben said. "Or maybe I can shoot him a few times, and then he'll just decide to leave."

He chuckled, "Can I shoot him too?"

"I'll even let you take the first shot," Ben said. Ben looked at him seriously, and he knew his brother was thinking about the little bit he'd told him about Crowley torturing him.

He nodded again since he wanted Ben to know that he understood, but he didn't want to talk about it. Especially not now.

Rowena poured his blood into a bowl with all the other ingredients, and then started the spell. He quickly wrapped Ben's hand before they both grabbed their backpacks. His eyes widened when a bright light flashed before something appeared in the middle of the room. It was like a portal that tore a rip through the room, just floating in the air. He glanced over at Ben, who just shrugged back to him. He rubbed his forehead, trying to fight off the headache that was starting. It was going to be a long day, and it had only just started.

"I think Ketch should go first," Ben said, shooting a small smirk over at him.

"Good idea," Alec said. "If anything's gonna attack us on the other side, then Ketch should definitely go first." He barely bumped his shoulder into Ben's, silently thanking him for making him feel better.

Ketch rolled his eyes, but he grabbed his gear and walked into the rip. It was weird just seeing him disappear, but it was also a good sign. The spell probably worked since Ketch didn't just appear on the other side of the weird light thing. Or he could be dead.

They waited a few seconds to see if Ketch would come right back, but he didn't, so they could at least try to go through. He and Ben walked forward at the same time, holding their guns at the ready as they both stepped through. His stomach dropped and his heart pounded as they went through. There was a roaring sound in his ears, and it felt like he was being squeezed to death. And then it was over. He could breathe again. At least, he could breathe until they hit the ground hard and all the air was knocked out of him.

He quickly pulled Ben out of the way since he figured Crowley and Gabriel would be coming through next. He looked his brother over, but he looked ok. Ben looked him over too, and he tried to hide the fact that he wasn't feeling very good. His stomach hurt and his head was pounding, but they were here. They were in another universe, so they had to be close to finding Dad and Uncle Sam. He just had to be ok for 24 hours. Besides, they just went through a portal, so it was probably normal that he didn't feel good. It would wear off once they started walking.

"How are we going to find them now that we're here?" Ben asked him as they both stood up. He brushed off the dirt from his pants to stall for a few seconds. He had no idea how they were going to find Dad and Uncle Sam, he just knew they had to do it soon. They didn't have a lot of time before the spell ended, and who knew if Rowena could do the spell again or not. He didn't want to be stuck here since they didn't know what was up with this universe. So far, he could only see trees, and lots of them. He didn't know if the whole universe looked like this, but he didn't hear anything that sounded like it could be human made.

"I would say we could split up, but considering…" Ketch muttered, trailing off since they all knew splitting up would be a terrible idea here. Gabriel and Crowley came through the rip or portal or whatever and walked over to them.

"Considering our Dad's gonna kill you as soon as he sees you?" Alec asked with a smirk. The man had helped rescue him and Ben, but that didn't excuse all the other crap the man had done to them. Dad wasn't going to let him live unless they were with him, and even then, there was a chance Dad would shoot him as soon as he saw him. Plus, they didn't really have a way to communicate to each other here, so they wouldn't be able to tell the other group if they had found something. Not that he'd be real sad if Ketch and Crowley got stuck here, but it would be better to just stick together.

"Let's get back to the real issue here," Gabriel said. "We only have maybe one day to find those two knuckleheads, so let's get to it."

"We can't just search this whole world," Ben said. "It'll take too long."

"We could set a bonfire, but that'll bring any evil thing that's here right at us," Alec said. "If there is anything evil, which, who knows. So far it's a weird forest world with nothing but trees, but maybe the trees will attack us."

"That'd be kinda cool," Ben said.

"Yeah it would," he agreed with a smile. Now he kind of hoped the trees would come alive and attack them. He didn't really want to fight trees, but just seeing trees move in real life would be awesome. He looked around hopefully, but unfortunately none of the trees started moving. He was a little disappointed, but he could still hope for a surprise attack.

"You two think just like Dean, don't you?" Crowley asked. "Shouldn't you just _know_ where they are?"

"Can I shoot him yet?" Ben whispered to him.

He chuckled and said, "I wish, but we'll need the bullets…" They probably would need the bullets.

"You doin' ok? You seem off…" Ben said, so only he could hear.

"I'm fine," Alec replied. He was tired, his stomach hurt, and his head hurt, but that wasn't unusual, especially since they'd been going nonstop to try to find a way to get Dad back. Now that they were finally here, he wasn't going to screw this up. 24 hours. He just had to make it 24 hours.

"If we run into any problems, just let me help," Ben said. "I don't trust any of our new 'friends' to watch your back…"

"Yeah, no kidding," Alec deadpanned back. Ben better not be thinking that he trusted anyone in this group except for him. He wouldn't let anyone watch his back except for Ben, and no one was watching Ben's back except for him. "How're we gonna find Dad and Uncle Sam?"

"Are you two going to do this the whole time?" Crowley asked impatiently.

"I really wish he would've stayed behind," Alec muttered. His stomach turned again just from hearing Crowley's voice. Spending this much time around the demon was making him sick.

"Just ignore him and let's figure this out," Ben said. "The sooner we find Dad and Uncle Sam and the others, the sooner we get home."

"Alright, well…when you and Dad were in Purgatory, what was the plan?" Alec asked.

"Stay ahead of the monsters," Ben said. "Just keep running and don't die. We were looking for Cas at the same time, but really it was just stay alive. When Benny started helping us, he told us there was a way out for humans, so that was the new goal."

"Ok, so here we have no idea if there are monsters or not, I'm still holding out for the trees comin' alive, but the plan would still be to survive until they found a way out," Alec said, trying to think like Dad. "You always need water, food, and shelter to survive, so Dad would find water first."

"And once he found water, he'd probably try to find somewhere safe, or at least somewhat safe near the water," Ben said. "We just gotta find water."

"Yeah…hopefully we landed pretty close to where they did, because otherwise, I don't think we'll find them in a day…" Alec said.

"One thing at a time little brother," Ben said with a smile. "But we better start walking if we want to even have a chance."

"Lead the way," Alec said. He smiled a little even though he didn't feel good. They'd made it to an alternate universe, so they were that much closer to finding Dad.

* * *

He could tell Alec wasn't feeling good, but there wasn't a lot he could do about it right now. He should have noticed it back at the bunker before they had gone through the portal, but he'd been so focused on finding Dad that he'd missed it until it was too late. He would just have to watch out for his brother until they were able to get back.

He really hoped this worked. They needed to find Dad and Uncle Sam. They couldn't take another loss, another dead end. They needed their family together. He hated that Crowley was with them since that was probably why his brother wasn't feeling good, but they needed all the help they could get. He didn't know what to expect here, and as much as he wanted Dad and Uncle Sam back, he couldn't lose Alec.

"This place is weird," Alec whispered to him as they walked. "It's creepy quiet…Where are all the people? Why are there only trees?"

"Alec, even back home there are forests that go on for a long time," Ben said, trying to hide his smile. He thought this place was creepy too, but he was glad Alec was here with him.

"But back home there are animals," Alec muttered. "So far all I've seen are these weird lizard things."

"Maybe there are other animals and we just can't hear or see them," Ben said.

"Maybe," Alec said, but he could tell that he didn't believe it.

They walked in silence for a while, but they were moving slower than he expected. Alec was already dragging. No one else but maybe Dad and Uncle Sam would be able to tell, but Alec really wasn't feeling good. He got his backpack off while they walked and got out a bottle of water. He took a drink, and then passed it over to Alec to make it look like he'd been the one who needed a drink, and not the fact that he was worried about him.

Alec hesitated, but then took the bottle and drank a little bit before he passed it back. He watched Alec's hand closely as he took the water back, but he didn't see any shaking. He knew his brother was freaked out with having Crowley so close, so maybe that's why he wasn't feeling good. He was looking forward to the moment when Crowley could hit the road. Alec couldn't be around him like this, and he kept wanting to attack him every two seconds just because he knew Alec was scared.

"Are you sure we should be heading in this direction?" Ketch asked.

"If you know where to go, by all means, you take the lead," Alec grumbled.

"We're looking for water, so if you see any, then that's the direction we want to go," Ben said, sounding more reasonable than his brother.

Alec stumbled suddenly, but he was able to catch himself. He looked over at his brother, but he was refusing to look back at him. They just had to find Dad and Uncle Sam, and the others, and then they could get back home. Dad would know how to take care of Alec. He just hoped they would find them today, instead of having to come back again some other time. If they didn't find Dad and Uncle Sam today, then he'd have to get his brother home and find a way to take care of him. He'd have to get rid of Crowley if he wanted Alec to cooperate. He just really hoped they would find Dad today.

* * *

"We have to move," Dean said. "We can't stay in this cave forever and I'm strong enough to walk for a while."

"I don't want to get caught out in the open," Sam said. "We're mostly safe here, so we should stay here."

"But we're not any closer to getting back to the boys if we just stay here," Dean argued. He wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing when they could be trying to find a way out of here. He knew his boys could take care of themselves, but he missed them, and he wanted to know for sure that they were ok.

"Dean, you're barely on your feet," Sam said. "You pass out nearly every time you stand up. We can't just go walking through this place because if we get attacked…Dean…I can't lose you. We should just stay here at least one more day. Give you just a little more time to recover."

"Sam-"

"Shh, hold on," Sam whispered. He frowned as his brother moved to the edge of the cave to check out whatever he'd heard. "I don't believe it…" Sam breathed.

"What? What is it?" Dean asked, moving to try to see around his brother. But Sam wasn't letting him get around him, which seriously pissed him off.

"It's the boys," Sam said. "The boys are here."

"What?" Dean asked. He moved around Sam, forcing his way past his brother, but then he smiled when he saw his boys. "Alec! Ben!" Dean called out even though he knew drawing attention was a bad idea. But his boys looked up when he said their names, and then they were running towards him. He wanted to run too, but he knew running wasn't an option right now. But he didn't have to worry because his boys were there in just a few seconds.

Alec got to him first and immediately hugged him. He could hear something off in Alec's breathing, which concerned him, but his boy was here, he was with him and he could fix whatever was wrong. He pulled back to look Alec over, brushing his hair back to get a good look at him. "I'm ok," Alec whispered. "A lot has happened, but we found you." He pulled Alec close again, just thankful that he had his boys again. He didn't know how they found them, but they were here. He'd missed them so much.

"As soon as we get home, I'm looking you over," Dean said. Something was off about Alec, but he didn't know what it was, and he knew he wasn't going to get it out of Alec until he wanted to tell him. But he could look out for his little boy now that they were together again. He wanted to hug his little boy and never let go, but he knew they weren't safe here. However the boys got here, they needed to get back home. They couldn't stay in this monster land.

"Are you hurt?" Alec asked suddenly. "You're pale and your hands are shaky…"

"A lot has happened here too," Dean said. "We'll catch up once we get home, ok?" Alec nodded, and then Ben was suddenly there, hugging him close. "Hey buddy," Dean whispered. He held Ben back too, but he looked pretty good. "I can't believe you guys found us." Alec ran over to Uncle Sam, and nearly tackled him with a hug. He smiled a little as he brought Ben in close against his chest again.

"Well…" Ben said, glancing over at Alec. "You're not gonna like it…"

"What?" Dean growled. "What did you two do?" He pulled back from Ben and looked around to try to figure out what he wasn't going to like. He didn't know what he would do if his boys made a deal to get them back, or something else just as dangerously stupid. He wanted to be with his boys, but not if it put them in danger.

"We had some help getting here," Ben said honestly. "But where's Jody, Mary, and Jack?"

"They aren't with you guys?" Dean asked.

"No…we thought they'd be with you," Ben said.

"Shit…" Dean breathed. He tried to think about where they could be, but he didn't have any idea. Now they were going to have to figure that out too. He assumed the boys hadn't found Cas, so now they needed to find Cas, Jody, Mary, and Jack. But he would worry about that after they got out of here and got back home. He froze suddenly though when he spotted Crowley out by the trees. "Ben," Dean growled.

"I know you don't like it, but we needed help," Ben said as fast as he could. "We needed a spell to get here, which meant that we needed Rowena to help us too."

"You know how I feel about Crowley being around you two," Dean said, his tone hard. "I've kept him away for a reason. He kidnapped your brother and tortured him, and he liked it. He brings it up all the time and just throws it in my face. You shouldn't have trusted him." His blood felt like ice; Crowley had been around his boys without him there. He looked back over at Alec, wishing that his little boy was over here, so he could make sure again that he was ok. Alec was good at hiding things, but not when it was about Crowley.

"He helped us escape Asmodeus," Ben said. "And then he helped us find you and Uncle Sam. I don't trust him, and I haven't let him talk to Alec, but we had to have help to find you." Ben looked over at Alec and Uncle Sam to make sure they were still talking before he said, "I thought I was gonna lose Alec. We both almost died. And I still think something's wrong that he's not telling me, so we had to find you. You can help Alec because you're the only one he'll talk to when he's like this."

"Alright, alright," Dean soothed, hugging Ben again. "Everything's alright. We'll get home, and then I'll get to the bottom of whatever's going on."

"We had a little more help too," Ben said against his shoulder.

"Who else is here?" Dean asked, telling himself that whoever it was, he couldn't blow up again. None of this was Ben's fault and he couldn't take it out on him. They just needed to get home, and then come up with a game plan to find Jody, Mary, Jack, and Cas.

"Ketch," Ben said. He sighed, but his son continued before he could say anything. "Yes, he's alive, and yes I know what he did, but he also helped get us out of hell and he helped break Gabriel out of hell." He looked up in surprise, so Ben said, "Yep, Gabriel is alive too. He broke Heaven's big rule and healed me and Alec before we almost died."

"You guys have been through a lot…" Dean said, concerned again. He should have been there for his boys, but instead he had been stuck here. He wanted to just grab them both and start running, but he needed to stay calm. They could figure everything out once they got back home.

"We're ok," Ben said. "Well…mostly ok."

"Let's go home," Dean said. He looked over at Sam and asked, "Did Alec fill you in on who else is here?"

"Yeah, and I'm not happy about it," Sam said.

"I've stayed away from Crowley," Alec said with a dramatic eye roll. He knew Alec was trying to pretend everything was ok, but his voice shook slightly when he said Crowley's name. "And I'm ready to go home, so can we leave now?"

"Fine," Dean said. "But you're grounded."

"Are you serious?" Alec whined.

"Yeah I'm serious," Dean said, walking out of the cave. Plus, if he grounded them, then he would know where they were at all times. He wasn't going to let them out of his sight for a very long time. "You trusted the demon that kidnapped you and tortured you for months-"

"I don't trust him," Alec cut off, running after him. "I can't even look at him because I'm terrified. But we needed him to find you, so I'm not sorry that we did it. I'm sorry that we didn't call him sooner."

He stopped and turned around to face Alec and took a breath to calm down again. "Alec, I'm just scared that he's gonna try to kidnap you again." Tears filled Alec's eyes, so he quickly reached out and pulled him in for another hug. "He liked it, which means he probably wants to do it again."

"All we needed him for was to find a way into this universe," Alec whispered. "We didn't want to trust him, but-"

He was thankful that he was already hugging Alec because that was the only reason why he caught him when he suddenly had a seizure. "Sam," he called out, needing his brother to help him get Alec to the ground. His son was just a dead weight in his arms, and he was afraid that they were both going to go down if he didn't get some help soon. He couldn't hold his little boy for very long since he was still recovering. And Alec was shaking, so it was even harder to hold him, and he didn't want to drop him and cause him more pain.

"Shit," Sam breathed, running forward to help. They got Alec to the ground, and he cushioned his head to try to make it so he wouldn't get hurt worse. "What happened?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, he was talking, and then he was seizing," Dean said. "He was acting a little weird, but Sam, that's twice with no warning." He looked for Ben, and he really shouldn't have been surprised to see him already next to Alec, holding his hand. "Did he have any after we disappeared?" Dean asked. He brushed Alec's hair back, hating that he hadn't been there for his boys. He should've found a way out of this place, so they wouldn't have to go around trusting demons and witches and guys who had tried to kill them.

"No. I made him take his pills and rest…I watched for them," Ben said.

"He's gonna be alright," Dean tried to reassure.

"We have to hurry," Ben said. "We only have less than half a day to get back, otherwise the door will close, and we'll be stuck here. Unless Rowena can open the door again, which is possible, but we really didn't know before we left."

"Ok, here's what we're gonna do," Dean said, trying his best to remain calm. "As soon as the seizure is over, Sam will carry him. You gotta lead the way back to the door, ok? And if Alec starts seizing again, then we'll stop, wait out the seizure, and then keep going."

"Ok," Ben whispered.

"Sam," he said, looking at his brother once Alec's shaking was down enough to pick him up. He really wished he wasn't hurt right now because he should be the one carrying Alec, but he knew he couldn't carry him. He would collapse after probably ten feet, and that wouldn't help Alec.

He got Alec's backpack off of him, and then Sam carefully picked Alec up, getting him over his shoulder just in case those creatures showed up again. "I've got him," Sam reassured.

"What happened to baby chipmunk?" Crowley asked.

"None of your damn business," Dean growled as he shouldered Alec's backpack. "I don't want to talk to you or Ketch, so if you want to live, don't talk to me, don't talk to my brother, and don't talk to my sons." He gently gripped Ben's shoulder and said, "Ben, lead the way. Let's get home, ok?"

Ben nodded and quickly started back the way he'd come. He saw Ben glance back at Sam and Alec every so often, but he kept walking. He wanted to stop multiple times to check on his kid, but they couldn't get stuck here. Alec's life depended on them getting home. They didn't have any pills out here, so they had to get home. He ignored Crowley, Ketch, and even Gabriel because he didn't want to talk to any of them. His only focus was on his boys and his brother. They could still get attacked on their way to the door, so he had to focus.

"Dean," Sam said after a couple hours. Alec had remained unconscious the whole time, which was more concerning than the actual seizure.

"Yeah?"

"He's shaking again," Sam said with regret.

He looked to make sure Ben had heard and was going to stop before he ran back to Sam and helped get Alec back to the ground. "C'mon kiddo, I know you're hurt, but we gotta get you home," Dean whispered, running his hand through Alec's hair. Alec started seizing though, and there was nothing they could do but wait.

* * *

"D-dad?" Alec breathed.

"Hey kiddo," Dad said. "Uncle Sam has to pick you up, and I know it hurts, but we gotta move. Ben says we don't have very long to get back home, so we gotta go."

"Wh-where are w-we?" Alec asked, confused. Nothing looked familiar, his head hurt, actually, his whole body hurt. But Dad was here, and now that he looked, so was Ben and Uncle Sam. That was good. His family was back together again. He closed his eyes before he got the answer from his Dad because it really didn't matter where they were because they were all together again.

"Alec, try to stay awake for a little while," Dad said, shaking his shoulder. "Uncle Sam is gonna carry you, but you've been out for a long time."

"I can help him walk," Ben suggested. "He'll stay awake longer if he walks."

"C'mon kiddo," Dad said, lifting up his shoulders. He groaned at the movement, but Dad was here, so it was ok. Dad kept helping him up until he was suddenly on his feet. He swayed and tried to focus on just his Dad, but he really didn't feel good. "Me and Ben will help you walk for a while, ok? But if you need to stop, tell us. Uncle Sam can carry you if you need him to."

"Ok," he whispered.

He let Dad and Ben hold him up, and he struggled to keep up, but he felt like he wasn't shaking as much as he had been. He was still shaking a lot, but since he was focused on walking, he wasn't just shaking nonstop.

"Once we get home, I'll make you a big chocolate shake, how does that sound?" Dad asked him.

"Good," he whispered.

"And we can hang out and watch movies," Ben said. "Dad will kick Crowley out, so we won't have to be around him anymore."

"Th-that'll be g-good," he said. "Hey D-dad?"

"Yeah kiddo?"

"D-do the tr-trees move?" he asked, shooting a small smile to his brother.

"The trees?" Dad asked in confusion.

"Yeah, we thought maybe the trees moved and attacked since the woods are so creepy," Ben said, knowing what he wanted to say.

Dad chuckled and shook his head no, "Unfortunately the trees don't move. That'd be pretty cool though. A lot cooler than what's really out there."

"What's really out there?" Ben asked.

"Let's hope you don't have to find out," Dad hedged. "Let's just make it back home, and then we can talk all about it."

"D-dad…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm a-about to h-have an-another one," he whispered. He could feel himself losing consciousness, so he knew he needed to stop.

Dad gently lowered him to the ground, and he could see his lips moving, but he was already too out of it to know what he was saying. Tears leaked out of his eyes just before he lost consciousness.

* * *

"Dammit," Dean breathed. "He's out again." This was the fourth seizure, and he didn't know how many more Alec could go through. They needed to get him out of this world and get back home before it was too late. He couldn't lose Alec.

"Dean, we have to move," Sam said. "There's less than an hour left, if we get stuck here, he's gonna die."

"I know," Dean said. He didn't want to think about it, but it was true. If they were stuck here, then Alec really would die. They needed Alec's pills, and if they were stuck here, then they wouldn't be able to stop the seizures. He silently vowed that they would go to Seattle as soon as Alec's seizures were under control again. They just had to get back home, and then he'd find a way to stop the seizures forever.

"C'mon, help me get him up again," Sam said.

"Sam, you're worn out," Dean said. "He's heavier than he used to be, and you've been carrying him all day…We can get Gabe to carry him or something."

"No," Sam stated. "He's my nephew. He's hurt, and you're hurt, which is the only reason you're not carrying him. He needs it to be us. You know him, so you know I'm right."

"Ok, ok," Dean grumbled. He got his youngest son over Sam's shoulder again, and then got back up. Alec didn't look comfortable over Sam's shoulder, but there wasn't anything else they could do. They had to get out of this place.

"Dad, there's something coming," Ben said. "We've gotta go."

"How far is the door?" Dean asked, already on the move.

"It's not far," Ben said. They went as fast as they could, and he was thankful when they made it through the tree line and he saw something that clearly wasn't part of this world or any other. "That's it," Ben said.

"Ok, go," Dean said.

"I'm not going without my brother," Ben said.

He sighed just wishing for once Ben would listen to him. Although, that wasn't fair. Ben always listened to him; he just didn't do what he said when it came to his brother. Sam was just now making it past the tree line, and he wasn't going through the door without Sam or Alec. He just wanted one person in his family to be safe, but he knew that wasn't how his family was.

He could feel the ground shake, which was the signal to get lost fast, but he wasn't going to leave. He looked back to the door trying to gauge if they could make it to the door before the monster showed up.

"Dean, he's about to have another one," Sam said, his voice breathless. He should've just had Gabe carry Alec even though Alec would have hated it. But he knew Sam wouldn't drop Alec no matter what.

"Just try to get him through the door," Dean said. "The big one is coming back, but Alec can't be here."

"Neither can you," Sam said. "Help me get him back down."

"To the ground? Sam-"

"We have to wake him up," Sam interrupted. "He can keep off the seizure long enough to make it to the door and he can walk if he's conscious. If I help him walk and get him off my shoulder, then we can move twice as fast."

"Sam, he's not gonna wake up. He's too hurt right now," Dean said.

"Get him off my shoulder and let's do this before that thing catches up to us," Sam said.

"Whatever we're doing, we need to do it now," Gabe said, showing up next to Sam. "And that door won't stay open much longer…"

He quickly helped Sam get Alec back to the ground, and then gently tapped his cheek. "Alec, I need you to wake up, just for a few minutes, ok kiddo?" He waited a few seconds, but there was no sign that Alec was coming around. "Does anyone have any water?" Dean asked. "He's not gonna wake up unless I just slap him, and I don't wanna do that…"

He looked around to see if any of them had water, even wishing that Crowley might have some, but he didn't. None of them did. Ben had given Alec the last of the water when he'd been conscious to try to help, but he wished now that he would've told him to wait.

"Alec, I'm sorry kiddo," Dean whispered. He smacked Alec's cheek, hating himself for doing it, but knowing that they had to move, so Alec had to wake up. Alec groaned, and then whimpered in pain. "I know it hurts Alec, but we have to move. Wake up and let's go."

Alec barely got his eyes open, but then cried out in pain when Sam hauled him up to his feet.

"Alec listen to me," Ben suddenly demanded, sliding in front of his brother to force him to look at him. "We're gonna get stuck here and you're gonna die if you don't wake up and move. All of us will die because there's some big monster that's coming after us, so we have to get home. So wake up and move."

"Ow…" Alec breathed.

"Uncle Sam, start walking," Ben said, going to Alec's other side to get his arm over his shoulder. "Move your feet," Ben softly encouraged. "C'mon, you can do it."

"Go," Dean whispered to Crowley, Ketch, and Gabe. "Tell Rowena to find a way to shut that door as soon as we make it through."

Gabe nodded, and then it was just him and his family.

"Alec, keep going," Ben said. "I know it hurts and I know a seizure is about to happen, but you have to get through that door. We won't leave you here, so we'll all just be stuck here together. So either suck it up and move faster or start thinking of this as your new home. And don't forget, the trees don't move, so it's not as cool as we thought it was."

"S-screw you," Alec slurred.

"Move faster," Ben shot back.

"I c-can't," Alec breathed.

"Yes, you can. You can because you have to," Ben said.

"I'm g-gonna h-have anoth-another s-s-seizure…" Alec said.

"No. Stop thinking about it. You can't have another seizure until we get home, you hear me?" Ben demanded. Alec barely nodded, and Ben kept him moving. He didn't know how Alec was doing it, but they were moving faster than before.

"A little further," Dean said. "We're almost to the door…" He looked to the tree line, knowing they only had seconds before the big monster showed up. He wanted to avoid that if possible, especially since Alec wasn't up for a fight. He didn't know what all happened, but Alec was in bad shape, and he hated himself for not being there for him.

"You ready little brother?" Ben asked once they were at the door.

"J-just g-go," Alec said. "Quit b-be-being dr-dramtic…"

He just caught a tiny glimpse of the monster before he ran through the door after Sam, Ben, and Alec. Rowena was there, just like Ben had said, and then the rip through the universe was closed. He barely had a second to feel relief at being home when Alec collapsed again.

"You four, out," Dean said to Rowena, Crowley, Ketch, and Gabriel. "Gabe, you can stay, but not in this room. Everyone else, out." He didn't wait to see if they listened or not because his son was seizing again, and he needed to be there for him. "Ben," he said, but he didn't have to say anything else. Ben was already running out of the room to go get things for Alec.

"Jacket," Sam said, holding out his jacket for him to put under Alec's head.

"Get them out of here," Dean whispered, knowing without looking that their uninvited guests were still in the room.

"You good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I've got him," Dean reassured. "Just get them out of here." Sam stood up, leaving him alone with Alec. Thankfully, Alec's seizure was already done, but his boy wasn't waking up again. "I'm sorry Alec," Dean whispered. "I should have been here…"

"I-I'm alright," Alec breathed.

"Hey kiddo," Dean said with a small smile. He ran his hand through Alec's hair, and then helped him lay on his back. "Ben went to go get your pills and Sam's kicking everyone out, so it's just us for a few minutes." Alec blinked a few times, but tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes and fell back into his hair. "Hey, it's ok," Dean soothed. "You got me and Uncle Sammy home and we're gonna get your seizures stopped, ok? Just hang in there for me, ok?"

"O-o-ok…" Alec stuttered.

He laid down on the floor next to Alec, and then held him close. "Everything's gonna be ok," Dean whispered.

"Wh-what a-about J-J-Jody-"

"Shh, one thing at a time," Dean whispered. "We'll figure out how to find Jody, Mary, and Jack, and we'll get them home, and then we'll figure out how to get Cas back, ok kiddo? But first we're gonna figure out your seizures."

"D-dad…"

"You're not going through this anymore Alec, I'm not letting you," Dean said. "As soon as we can get your seizures under control again, we're heading to Seattle."

"C-could b-be a tr-trap," Alec breathed.

"Let me worry about that," Dean said. "You just worry about healing and resting, ok?"

"Ok…"

"I know I just told you to rest, but you gotta stay awake until Ben comes back with your pills," Dean said. Alec still shook in his arms, but he didn't have another seizure. And Ben came back with pretty much _all_ of Alec's things. He helped Alec take some pills, but then chuckled when Ben handed him the sweatshirt he stole from Sam. "Where did you find this?" Dean asked, carefully getting Alec's arms into the sleeves of the giant sweatshirt.

"I found it in your room," Ben admitted. "I knew it would make him feel better when he was hurt…"

"It d-did," Alec breathed.

"I haven't worn this in years," Dean said. "You remember I used to wear this all the time?" Dean asked Alec, gently wiping away more tears from Alec's cheeks. "You were so little then, but now the sweatshirt practically fits you, huh?"

"It's st-still t-too big," Alec said, snuggling against his chest.

"I brought his pillow and blanket too, but I figured we would move him to his bed or the sofa or something…" Ben said.

"Where do you want to go?" Dean asked, brushing Alec's hair back again.

"W-we m-m-moved…" Alec stopped and looked to his brother for help.

"We moved our beds to the rec room," Ben said.

"Alright, rec room it is," Dean said, kissing Alec's forehead. "We'll just wait until Uncle Sam gets back in here, so he can pick you up and carry you back there."

"Wh-why c-can't y-you d-do it?" Alec asked pitifully.

"Because I'm still hurt," Dean said with a laugh. "If I pick you up, then I'll probably just end up dropping you."

"Oh…"

"Go to sleep," Dean whispered. "You need the rest and we'll still be here when you wake up."

"Pr-promise?" Alec asked.

"I promise," Dean said. "I'm not leaving this bunker." Alec relaxed against him and slowly fell asleep. He held him close and just held him until Sam got back, and even then, he didn't want to let him go. Alec's breathing was labored, but he wasn't shaking as badly as he had been since he was asleep. He rubbed Alec's back and ran his hand through his hair, hoping that it helped his little boy to be held like this, and that he knew he wasn't alone. Ben sat on the floor next to them, rubbing Alec's shoulder when he whimpered in pain. He would find a way to stop the seizures. He had to. He couldn't stand seeing his boys in pain, and the seizures were the worst. He always felt so helpless when one of them had a seizure.

He startled a little when Sam walked into the room. He didn't know how long they'd been laying on the floor, but his back was starting to hurt. But he wasn't going to let Alec go. He needed to know he wasn't alone, so he could ignore the pain in his back and his side and just hold his little boy while he slept.

Sam knelt down and reached for Alec, but he pulled him away from his brother. He knew he was being irrational, but he needed to protect Alec. "Dean, c'mon, you two can't sleep on the floor," Sam reasoned. "Just let me pick him up and take him to the rec room. You and Ben can both be with him and we can all stay together. But the floor isn't going to help either of you. He needs a real bed, and so do you."

"Yeah…ok," Dean said. He kissed Alec's forehead again, and let Sam pick up his youngest son. Ben helped him up, and he pulled his son closer as they walked down the hall together.

"You ok Dad?" Ben asked.

"I'm a lot better now," Dean said. "I missed you boys."

"We missed you too," Ben said.

"I already told Alec, but we're heading to Seattle once he's healed up," Dean said. "We're gonna track down a scientist and we're gonna get this seizure thing taken care of."

"Even though we still have family missing?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, even though we still have family missing," Dean said. "This is the second time he just suddenly had a seizure with no warning, so we're getting this taken care of now."

"Thanks Dad," Ben said, hugging him.

He chuckled a little and said, "I haven't done anything yet."

"I…um…I tried to convince Alec to go to Seattle before we looked for you, but he wouldn't listen," Ben said. "I don't want to lose my brother…"

"We're not losing Alec. I won't let it happen," Dean said. "You, Alec, and Sam are the most important people to me. I'm not losing any of you." Ben smiled and hugged him again. "We'll get this figured out."

They walked back to the rec room where Sam had already gotten Alec onto one of the mattresses that were on the floor. Ben ran over and put Alec's pillow under his head, and then covered him with a blanket before he laid down next to Alec. He smiled a little since his boys were here, and they'd gotten him and Sam back to the real world. He still didn't know exactly how they'd done it, but he'd get the whole story when he knew they were up to it.

"You wanna take a shower first?" Sam asked, keeping his voice down since both boys were asleep now.

"No…I'm just gonna hang out with the boys for a while," Dean whispered back.

"I can't believe they found us," Sam said.

He smirked, "You told me over and over again in that place that the boys would probably find us before we ever found a way out, and now you can't believe they found us?"

"Well, I, um…"

"I can't believe they found us either," he said, giving his brother an out. "You can shower first. I'll wait until you get back before I clean up."

"Dean…we'll find a way to help Alec, I know we will," Sam reassured.

He nodded, and then laid down on the bed, keeping Alec in between him and Ben, so he'd be warmer. "Wake me up in a little while, ok?" Dean mumbled, already feeling sleep tug at him. He had his boys back, he and Sam were home again, so now all they needed to do was find a way to stop Alec's seizures, and then they could find the rest of their family.

"Ok Dean," Sam whispered, but he was already asleep.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Present

"W-we m-m-might ha-have-"

"Alec, you don't have to talk," Dad whispered. "It wears you out and once Ben comes back, he'll know what you want to say anyway."

"I-I'm n-not g-g-get-getting b-better," Alec managed to say. He was so tired, he could barely get a sentence out without needing to sleep afterwards, but he had to get Dad to understand that they couldn't just wait for him to get better before they did something.

"But Uncle Sam went out to get a prescription muscle relaxer, which we'll try as soon as he gets back," Dad said. "And we've got you set up on all the equipment that we could find, even though you hate it."

He did hate it, but he knew it made his family feel better. But he felt like they were overreacting since they had him on a heart monitor, IV, and oxygen, and he was back in the stupid sling, and he thought if they would just go to Seattle, then they wouldn't have to put him on any equipment.

"I-I w-want to g-g-go-"

"Alec, please just relax," Dad said, brushing his hair back. He scowled but he was too tired to smack his hand away. "I know you think we should just go to Seattle, but that drive is further than the drive to South Dakota and remember how hard that was on you? We have to wait until we can get your seizures under control."

"I've got a milkshake," Ben said, walking back in. "Which you can't refuse since I know you love milkshakes. Plus, this way you get some more tryptophan in your system and you might actually eat something."

He refused to reach out to take the milkshake, but Dad was done. He knew Dad was done. He wasn't cooperating because he hurt, and he felt like he'd been hurting for a long time, and he wanted to believe that if they went to Seattle, then his pain would stop. He just wanted the pain to stop. But Dad grabbed the milkshake from Ben's hand and sat on his mattress next to him.

"I'm going to help you sit up, I'm gonna hold the cup, and you're gonna drink this," Dad said, and somehow, he sounded firm but gentle at the same time. He wanted to refuse, but he knew that wasn't an option right now. Dad gently eased him into a sitting position, still holding him, and then held the cup just right, so the straw was within easy reach. "Alec, please," Dad whispered.

"E-every-everything h-hurts…" Alec admitted.

"I know it does," Dad soothed. "But just think how good this will feel on your throat. It's nice and cold, and it's your favorite." He still didn't make any move to actually take a drink. "Please Alec, I need you to try. Just try, ok kiddo?"

He didn't even have the strength to lean forward, but Dad knew that and just held the cup closer. He managed to take a sip, and yeah, Dad was right because it did feel good on his throat. He took a few drinks before he got too tired.

"That was good," Dad whispered, carefully lowering him back down.

"I-I'm t-tired…" Alec breathed.

Dad laid down next to him and held him. "You just rest as much as you can," Dad said, brushing his hair back, and he didn't even care that he did it because it did feel good. "I'll be here the whole time."

"I-I'm c-cold too…" Alec whispered.

"We could make an Alec sandwich," Ben said, grabbing another blanket and walking over. "It's just like when you first met me, remember? Well…not exactly like that, maybe a little while after that…"

"Sh-shut up a-and g-get over h-h-here," Alec stuttered. Yeah, he remembered those times because those were the times he'd started deciding that Ben was ok and he wanted to get to know his brother. The best way for him to do that was to pretend it wasn't a big deal that he was around and hang out with him and Dad at the same time. And if Ben was around, then he'd still have someone with him if Dad had to get up. He knew then that Ben had his back no matter what, even though he barely knew him.

"You better not take the whole blanket," Ben grumbled.

Tears filled his eyes because his brother knew him so well. "I-I w-won't," Alec whispered, even though that wasn't the right response. He knew he was supposed to joke back, but he couldn't right now.

Ben tucked the blanket around him, and then Dad and Ben both put their arms over him. He actually managed to fall asleep sandwiched between most of his family. He knew Uncle Sam would be back soon, and that would make everything better.

* * *

Sam walked into the rec room to find his brother and his nephews all asleep. He smiled seeing the three of them all tangled together even though Alec was still shaking badly.

Dean startled awake as soon as he got too close to Alec's bubble. His brother was protective on the good days, but he must have been exhausted to let him get in the room without waking up. "Oh…hey," Dean whispered once he realized it was him.

"You got him to sleep, that's pretty impressive," Sam said.

"And he drank a little bit of a milkshake," Dean mumbled. "That's two points for me."

"I got him the good stuff," Sam said. "That earns me some points too."

"Fine. One," Dean said.

"I got the strongest stuff there is," Sam said. "And I managed to score a sedative in case the muscle relaxer doesn't work."

"Fine. 1.5," Dean muttered.

"Do you want me to go ahead and give it to him?" Sam asked.

"Not yet," Dean said. "He's asleep now, so we should wait until he can't sleep to give it to him. I don't wanna waste it…"

"Here's where I win," Sam said with a smirk. "I didn't just get one dose. I stole 4 doses…"

"Holy shit," Dean breathed, untangling from Alec to sit up a little.

"You're not the only one who will do anything for their family," Sam said. "And I missed the boys too."

"I don't want to give it to him while he's asleep…" Dean said, looking at Alec again. "You know he wouldn't like that even though it was us and even if it did help."

"Manticore?" Sam asked even though he already knew. He knew the boys had been through nine years of torture at Manticore, which included testing them and taking samples and treating them like lab rats. The boys never said it to either of them, but they could tell that they didn't like it when things happened or were done to them without them knowing what it was.

"Yeah," Dean whispered.

"We'll get him back on his feet, and then we'll hit up Seattle," Sam reassured, knowing that Dean was freaking out about the seizures again. "Dean, he wore himself out. And I know it's worse now than it was when he was nine, but we'll get him through this."

"He's in so much pain…" Dean said. "And I can't help him. It's killing me that I can't help him…I'm his Dad, I'm supposed to protect him…"

"Hey, you are helping him," Sam argued. "I talked to Ben one of the few times he agreed to leave Alec's side, and Dean you're helping both of them just by being here. We both are. Ben was freaking out because he had to take care of Alec by himself while we were gone, and Alec wouldn't rest because he kept trying to either work on the car or work on finding us. They can take care of themselves, but we're all better together."

"I still can't believe they found us," Dean said, brushing Alec's hair back even though they all knew Alec always hit his hand away when he did that, and then would mess up his hair.

"Now we just have to get Alec taken care of, and then find the others," Sam said.

"Oh, is that all?" Dean asked sarcastically.

He chuckled and shook his head, "Alec first though. We'd all be too serious without him around."

Dean laid next to Alec again, pulling him closer even though Ben wouldn't let go of his brother. "I'm not losing Alec. Not again. I'm not losing either of them."

He moved to lay down on the sofa, so he could sleep a little and he could still be close to his family. They weren't going to let Alec go.

* * *

 _2016_

 _He woke up outside, which was weird. Why was he sleeping in the grass? And there was a rabbit next to him. He picked it up since it looked really soft, and it was really soft. "Hey, buddy," he said. He moved the rabbit behind him, so he wouldn't hurt it, and started to stand up. "Ah. Wow…" He had no idea where he was or how he got here._

 _He pulled his phone out of his pocket to call Sam, but the screen was cracked, and it wouldn't turn on. "Oh, come on…" he grumbled. He needed to call Sam. He looked around to try to find someone he could ask to borrow their phone, but he stopped when he saw a familiar boot. A boot by itself with the laces untied and a knife hidden in the side. It was Alec's boot. Alec kept his boots stocked with knives even though it seemed incredible uncomfortable._

 _"Alec?" He called out._

 _"What?" Alec grumbled back._

 _He spun around and saw his son a few feet away, curled up like he'd been sleeping. "Alec? What are you doing out here?" Dean asked, running over to him. He did a quick check, but Alec seemed to be ok._

 _"I don't know…I guess I fell asleep," Alec muttered._

 _"Why're you sleeping outside?" Dean asked. Maybe Alec would know what all happened last night._

 _"I don't know," Alec mumbled, turning a little to fall asleep again._

 _He quickly shook Alec's shoulder, "Don't sleep yet, ok kiddo? We've gotta find someone with a phone."_

 _Alec finally sat up and frowned, "Why? I have a phone."_

 _"Right," he said. He handed Alec his boot as Alec handed him his phone. He watched Alec as he slowly put on his boot again, and then dialed Sam's number._

 _"Dude, where the hell have you been? Is Alec with you? We've been looking for you guys all night," Sam said._

 _"I'm not really sure," he muttered._

 _"You…Well, where are you now?" Sam asked._

 _"I'm not real sure about that either…" he said._

 _"Is Alec with you at least? You're using his phone, so I'm hoping he's with you," Sam said._

 _"Yeah, yeah, he's with me," he said. He looked over at Alec and saw that he was curled up in the grass again. A truck horn suddenly blared, drawing his attention to the highway where he saw a Waldo's Waffles sign. "Oh. I'm starvin'. How do you feel about waffles?" he asked Sam._

 _"What?" Sam asked, confused._

 _"Dumb question. Right. What psycho doesn't love waffles," he said with a laugh. "I mean, they're fluffy. You got the little pockets full of syrup. You just cover 'em in whipped cream. Am I right?"_

 _"You're right," Alec mumbled._

 _"Yeah," he said with a smile. "Anyway, meet us at Waldo's, ok?" He hung up before Sam could say anything else, and then helped Alec up. "Let's go get some waffles."_

* * *

 _He wanted to shake his brother for disappearing like that, but at least Alec had been with Dad…apparently. He walked into the waffle place with his Uncle and immediately spotted his Dad and brother sitting at the counter. Alec looked like he was taking a nap while Dad stuffed his face with waffles. His stomach growled at the thought of eating waffles, but he was more worried about his Dad and brother at the moment._

 _"Oh. Hey, did you bring any, um…" Dad looked at him and Alec before he pointed to his head. Uncle Sam got a pill bottle out of his pocket, which Dad immediately grabbed. "Oh, man," Dad said as he took a couple pills, and then ate some more waffles._

 _"Rough night?" Uncle Sam asked, looking over at Alec._

 _Dad was acting hung over, but he wouldn't have gotten drunk with Alec around. "Rough morning," Dad muttered._

 _He nudged Alec as he sat down next to him, but his brother just grumbled back to him and refused to move. He grabbed the plate of waffles that were sitting in front of Alec, hoping that would make him wake up a little since he was stealing his food, but he didn't. He shook his head since Alec and Dad were not acting right at all, but they needed some answers before they really started freaking out._

 _"What happened? I mean, you just went out to get some food," Uncle Sam said._

 _"I don't know," Dad said with his mouth full._

 _"What does that mean?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _He rolled his eyes since Uncle Sam never learned. "Do you really need the definition of 'I don't know', Uncle Sam?" Alec mumbled._

 _Uncle Sam gave his brother a bitch face, but Dad answered before Uncle Sam could say anything. "I guess I blacked out," Dad said. "And judging from this hangover, it was epic."_

 _"You got wasted with Alec around?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"Dude, I don't know," Dad said. "Alec, did I get wasted around you last night?"_

 _"I don't know," Alec mumbled, still refusing to actually wake up. Maybe Alec got drunk last night too? Although, he was pretty sure they couldn't get drunk, so he didn't know what was going on._

 _"Well, I tried to call you," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Um…" Dad said, pulling out his phone to show Uncle Sam it was broken._

 _"I tried calling Alec too," Ben said._

 _"I turned it on silent," Alec said. "You kept waking me up."_

 _"Alec, you can't do that," Ben said with a sigh. "We had no idea where you were."_

 _"I was with Dad," Alec said._

 _"We didn't know where Dad was," Ben growled._

 _"Not sure how that happened," Dad said, tossing his broken phone on the counter._

 _"Great…" Uncle Sam grumbled. "Alright, well, I'll text Mom, make sure she knows to get a hold of me in case of emergency. And Cas, in case he tracks down Kelly." Dad frowned in confusion. "The mother of Lucifer's love child?" Sam said incredulously._

 _"Right. Right. Yes, the Devil baby mama drama," Dad said. Dad smiled, "Say that five times fast. Devil baby mama drama."_

 _"Devil baby drama mama," Alec mumbled sleepily, getting it wrong._

 _Another plate of waffles was put in front of Dad. "Alright, Dean, you know, uh, you had a good run, but maybe let's pump the brakes a little bit. I mean, you're not 20 anymore," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Ok, one, the Rat Pack partied till the day they died. And B, I can still kick your ass," Dad said._

 _"Dad, are you still drunk?" he asked. Dad wasn't making any sense at all, and he was acting very weird._

 _"Mm. Got a man who needs some waffles down here," Dad called out to the waitress, ignoring his question. "Ben, you hungry? Need some waffles?" He held up Alec's waffles, which made Dad smile, "You got waffles too!"_

 _"I'm fine," Uncle Sam said._

 _"You can just take these if you want," Dad said, passing the extra plate of waffles over._

 _"No, Dean. Look, the morgue opens in, like, 10 minutes," Uncle Sam said._

 _Dad took a sip of coffee and frowned again. "The morgue?"_

 _"It's where they keep dead people," Alec muttered, thinking Dad didn't know what the morgue was._

 _"What the hell is wrong with you?" he whispered to his brother._

 _"The autopsy results. Are you still drunk?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"I don't think so," Dad said. Uncle Sam leaned over and sniffed a little to see if he could smell alcohol on Dad, but he didn't smell any alcohol at all, so he didn't think Dad was drunk, or had even gotten drunk last night._

 _"Alright, our…our case?" Uncle Sam asked, trying to jog Dad's memory._

 _"Mm," Dad hummed, taking another huge bite of waffles._

 _"Are you going to eat anything?" He asked Alec._

 _"Leave me alone. I just wanna sleep," Alec mumbled._

 _"The dead guy, throat stuffed full of money. Any of this ring a bell?" Uncle Sam asked Dad._

 _Dad finally nodded, "Right, yes. Right. Um…the accountant. Barry Gilman."_

 _"Right," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Right," Dad said back. "Uh, and you think he got his ticket punched by a demon."_

 _"Maybe," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Ok, but when we went over to his place yesterday, we got a whole bunch of jack and a little bit of squat," Dad said. "There was no hex bags, no EMF, no sulfur, which means no case."_

 _Uncle Sam sighed dramatically. "Yeah, but if it's not a case, then what is it?"_

 _"I don't know. Death by money? You know, maybe the guy got whacked by, uh, some mob dude with an ironic sense of humor," Dad said._

 _He smiled since at least Dad's sense of humor was still there. "Alright, well, I'm gonna go scope out the body," Uncle Sam said. "If you wanna spend some more alone time with, uh, your waffles…alright. Have fun."_

 _Dad wiped his mouth with a napkin and started to get up. He quickly shook Alec's shoulder to get him to wake up, but his brother just grumbled back to him. "Fine, hold up," Dad said._

 _He pulled on Alec's arm until his brother finally got up, stumbling as he did so. "Did you pay?" Uncle Sam asked before Dad could walk away._

 _"Oops, no. Right," Dad said, looking for his wallet._

 _"You got it?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _Dad tossed some money on the counter, and he raised his eyebrows when he saw the amount he put. Three times the amount that their food cost was definitely not how Dad usually paid. "I got it," Dad grumbled._

 _A woman walked up to Dad right as he turned around. "Hi," the woman said._

 _Dad looked really confused for a second, but then smiled, "Hi. And who are you?"_

 _Alec leaned against him, so he shook him to wake him up again. The woman suddenly looked really angry, and then smacked Dad across the face and walked back over to her friends._

 _Uncle Sam looked at Dad and silently asked him what that was, but Dad just nodded once, "Yep. Epic night."_

* * *

 _"I don't want to wear this," Alec muttered. He didn't know why he had to go inside with Uncle Sam and Dad. They usually made him and Ben wait in the car. Why couldn't he just wait in the car? He hated his stupid suit and he just wanted to go back to sleep._

 _"Too bad," Ben said, slapping his hand away from his tie. He really hated ties. Ben tightened his tie, and then snapped in front of his face a few times._

 _"Why can't we just wait in the car?" he asked._

 _"Because you keep falling asleep and it's weird," Ben said. "You need to stay awake, which is why we're going inside."_

 _"I'm awake," he grumbled._

 _"Barely," Ben said._

 _"You're so annoying," he said._

 _"You're being way more annoying than me right now," Ben said. "C'mon, Uncle Sam and Dad are waiting for us."_

 _"Do I have to wear the tie?" Alec asked._

 _"Yeah, you have to wear the tie. We're interns, remember?" Ben said._

 _"Interns don't wear ties," Alec said._

 _"Yes, they do," Ben argued._

 _"Dad, do I have to wear the tie?" Alec asked once they were next to Dad and Uncle Sam._

 _"Nah, you don't have to wear it," Dad said._

 _"Dean," Uncle Sam snapped. "He needs to wear it. They're interns, remember?"_

 _"He hates ties," Dad said._

 _"He still needs to wear it," Uncle Sam said. "Ben, keep him awake, ok buddy?"_

 _"Ok," Ben said._

 _"I'm not a baby," he grumbled._

 _They walked into the morgue, and Uncle Sam spun the story since Dad couldn't really be trusted to remember their cover right now. The morgue lady let them in, only giving him and Ben one weird look, and then brought Uncle Sam the evidence box before she left._

 _He walked over to the only chair in the room and immediately sat down, but then rolled his eyes when Ben forced him to stand up again. Uncle Sam looked through the report and said, "So cause of death was suffocation. Officially."_

 _"Ok. We already knew that," Dad said._

 _"'See evidence bag B1-4'. Alright," Uncle Sam said, putting the report down to dig through the evidence box. Dad made a funny face and turned away as Uncle Sam took out a bag full of bloody money. "Huh," Uncle Sam said. "Says they pulled all this from his stomach."_

 _Dad pointedly looked away from Uncle Sam. "Mm-hmmm. Big breakfast." Dad glanced over at the bag again, but then quickly turned away, covering his mouth. "Ok…"_

 _Uncle Sam put the money back in the box, frowning in concern at Dad. He walked over to the chair again, but Ben was there, pulling him up as soon as he sat down. He growled a little, but really, he was too tired to do much anyway._

 _"Well, well," Uncle Sam said, pulling out a small pink hex bag from the evidence box. "You were saying about an ironic mobster?"_

 _Dad sighed, "Alright, so…a witch force feeds old Barry here a hex bag, and then casts a spell."_

 _"Yeah, a spell that pumps him so full of cash, he dies choking on it," Uncle Sam said as he put the hex bag back in the box._

 _"Ugh. Witches," Dad muttered. "Well, I guess it's true what they say. Mo' money, mo' problems, right?"_

 _Dad chuckled to himself and left the room without waiting for anyone else. Ben grabbed his arm and drug him out behind Uncle Sam. "I hope you're still drunk," Uncle Sam said._

 _"So why would somebody want Barry dead?" Dad asked, ignoring Uncle Sam. "I mean, what, did he screw up a tax return?"_

 _"He's actually more of a money manager," Uncle Sam corrected._

 _He was bored of this conversation. He wanted to go back to bed. Once they got back to the car, then he could go back to sleep. He wished that Ben would let go of his arm so he could just sit down for a minute. But Ben was being really annoying. Why couldn't he just sleep for a little while?_

 _"Well, whatever he was, looks like he, uh certainly made one hell of a…uh…" Dad stopped and tried to think of the word he was looking for._

 _"Enemy?" Ben asked when Dad took too long._

 _"Enemy. Yeah. Those guys," Dad said._

 _"Maybe he blew the wrong person's savings," Uncle Sam said._

 _Dad got the keys out of his pocket and flipped through them, looking for the right one. "Alright, well, let's check out his clients," Dad said._

 _"Which one? Barry worked for the richest families in town," Uncle Sam said._

 _Ben finally let him get into the car, but he wouldn't let him lean against anything. He wished Dad would just start the car already, but he was still flipping through the keys._

 _"Dad, it's the square one," Ben said._

 _"Yeah. I know," Dad said with a shrug._

 _He leaned against Ben, but his brother shoved him over. "You need to wake up," Ben said, slapping his face a few times. "Alec, open your eyes."_

 _"Leave me alone," he grumbled._

 _"Not until you wake up," Ben said._

 _He and Ben both jumped when the Impala shot forward instead of in reverse. The car crashed into a newspaper box, where a woman was looking through a paper._

 _"Son of a bitch," Dad growled._

 _"What the…" Uncle Sam said, staring at Dad._

 _"Come on!" the woman yelled at Dad._

 _"Sorry! Our fault," Uncle Sam quickly apologized. Uncle Sam looked back at Dad, who was just sitting there in shock. "R for reverse, Dean," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Dad, are you ok?" Ben asked._

 _Dad didn't answer. "Listen, man, I-I know we haven't had it easy lately. This thing with the Devil's kid and getting tossed into West Guantanamo makes me wanna crawl into a bottle too sometimes, but…dude, you're wrecked," Uncle Sam said. He leaned over to rest against Ben, and this time his brother let him. "And we got a case to work, so get it together, alright?" Uncle Sam asked when Dad didn't say anything. "Dean?"_

 _Dad looked over at Uncle Sam and asked, "Who's Dean?"_

* * *

 _"I told you, I'm fine," Dean said as they walked back into the motel room. He made sure Dean was all the way inside before he helped Ben get Alec inside. What the hell was going on? Alec couldn't stay awake, and Dean couldn't even remember who he was._

 _"Dean, you forgot your own name," he said. He got Alec into bed and decided to just let him sleep for a little bit. Maybe he could sleep it off, and then he'd be ok._

 _"For a second," Dean said, but then relented, "Ok, yeah, that was weird."_

 _"Alright, look, we know we're dealing with a witch, right? Maybe you and Alec got hexed," he suggested. "Alec, do you remember getting hexed?"_

 _"He's asleep, Uncle Sam," Ben said._

 _"Try to wake him up again," Sam said with a sigh. They needed answers, so unfortunately, Alec couldn't sleep right now._

 _"Dude…if a witch got a clear shot on us, we would be dead, ok?" Dean said. "I wouldn't be freakin', uh…Dory."_

 _"Dory?" he asked._

 _"I'm not gonna apologize for loving that fish. Not to you, not to anyone," Dean said._

 _"Right. Ok. Alright. If you're doing so well, name all the members of Bon Jovi," he challenged._

 _Dean huffed, "Ok. Uh, we talkin' circa 1983?"_

 _"Sure," he said. He really didn't care as long as Dean could name at least one person other than Bon Jovi._

 _"Done. We got Bon Jovi," Dean said. Dean thought about it, looked over at the boys, thought about it a minute more, and then said, "Whatever. This is stupid. Sam, I'm fine. Ok?" He sighed as Dean walked over to the bed. "I feel great," Dean said. "Look," he picked up his gun and looked back at him, "This is a gun." He put the gun back down and picked up his coat. "This is a coat." He put the coat back down, and then walked over to the lamp in the room. He was about to just tell Dean to stop, but he let him keep going. "This is a…a…a…light stick."_

 _He looked up in surprise, but Ben spoke before he could. "A light stick? Dad, are you serious?"_

 _Dean frowned and kept thinking about it, so he grabbed the sticky notes of the desk and quickly wrote on it. "Alright. We're gonna get you and Alec some help," he said._

 _"Look, we can figure this out, ok? Don't go callin' Mom or Cas with this," Dean said. "Wait…what's wrong with Alec?"_

 _"This is why we need help," Sam muttered. He walked over to the lamp and put the sticky note on it. "So, until you get better, we'll do this."_

 _"Lamp," Dean said, snapping his fingers. "Right. So close."_

 _"Who're you gonna call?" Ben asked._

 _He resisted the urge to say 'Ghostbusters', but unfortunately Dean had no problem remembering that one. "Ghostbusters!"_

 _"Dad, this is serious," Ben said._

 _"I'm being serious," Dean said. "You're the one who said it."_

 _"Seriously Dean?" he asked._

 _"Ow, you're sitting on me," Alec suddenly grumbled._

 _"You just now noticed? Are you serious?" Ben asked._

 _"What's going on?" Alec asked._

 _"Alec, do you remember getting hexed last night? Do you remember anything from last night?" Sam quickly asked before Alec could fall asleep again._

 _"I don't know…I followed Dad, and then I fell asleep," Alec muttered. "Why does it matter?"_

 _"It matters because I think you got hexed," he said. "And we need to figure out what happened to try to reverse it."_

 _"I didn't get hexed, I'm just tired," Alec mumbled, turning to fall asleep again._

 _"Ben, try to keep him awake," he said._

 _"Who are you going to have come here to help us," Ben asked, carefully avoiding a repeat of what had just happened._

 _"I guess the only witch we know," Sam said. "Keep an eye on them, ok?" Ben nodded, so he got his phone out and called Rowena._

 _"I'm a wee bit occupied at the moment," Rowena answered._

 _"Yeah, well, we need your help, Rowena," he said._

 _"Oh, really?" Rowena asked._

 _"Come on, man. Rowena?" Dean whined._

 _"Tell her Alec needs help. She actually likes him," Ben muttered._

 _"Yes. Really," Sam said to Rowena. He watched Dean to make sure he wasn't going to do something stupid, but he was just searching through the mini fridge._

 _"Tiny vodkas. Score," Dean said, showing him the little bottles._

 _"Am I saved to your contacts now?" Rowena asked. "Tell me. Have I got my own ringtone?"_

 _"This is serious," Sam said. "Look, I think Dean and Alec have been hexed, ok? Dean's forgetting things, and Alec can't stay awake."_

 _"Maybe he's just drunk. And Alec's a growing boy and you're running him ragged," Rowena said._

 _"He's not drunk. And Alec has more energy than anyone else there is," Sam said._

 _"We need ice," Dean said, picking up the ice bucket._

 _He shook his head at Dean, hoping his brother would finally get it that he was on the phone. "We could do a memory spell," Rowena said. "But did his hair fall out? On his body too?"_

 _"What?" Sam asked. "And who? Dean or Alec?"_

 _"Dean," Rowena said with a dramatic sigh. "From the neck down, is he smooth like a ken doll?"_

 _"I don't know. And I'm not checking either," he said quickly._

 _"Rules out a mnemonic curse," Rowena said. "The obliviate spell wipes the memory clean over time, but it's intricate magic. And as for Alec…I don't know, Samuel. I'd have to look him over to be able to tell which spell it could be."_

 _"How do I break the spells or curses or whatever?" he asked._

 _"Theoretically? Kill the witch," Rowena stated._

 _"Got it," he said before he hung up. He turned to look for Dean to tell him what he'd found out, but of course, Dean wasn't there. He looked over at Ben, "Where'd your Dad go?"_

 _"He said he needed to get ice," Ben said. "And I figured I should babysit my brother…"_

 _"Good call," he said. "Stay with Alec. I'll go find your Dad." Ben nodded, so he quickly left the room. "Dean!" he called out, wishing his brother had been right outside the door, but he wasn't. "Dean?" He walked around the corner and breathed out in relief when he saw Dean. He frowned though when he saw Dean standing in front of one of the other rooms, putting his keycard in the slot, and then frowning when it didn't work. "Dude, what are you doing?" Sam asked as he walked up to his brother._

 _"Getting ice," Dean said like it was obvious. "What are you doing?"_

 _"That's not our room," he said._

 _Dean just shrugged, acting like it wasn't totally weird that he couldn't remember their own room, "All these dumps look the same." Dean walked to their actual room, but he didn't walk in yet. "So this spell, I'm stuck in some sort of 'Momento' crap?" Dean asked. "And what about Alec? How do we break a sleep spell?"_

 _"The fix sounds fairly simple," he said. "You just find the witch who did it and kill it."_

 _"Oh, halle-freakin'-lujah," Dean sarcastically replied._

 _"I think you got hexed last night," he said._

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Yeah. We need to retrace your steps. Alright, think," he said. "What's the last thing you remember you did?"_

 _Dean looked like he was actually thinking about it, but then he held up the ice bucket and said, "Uh…I got some ice."_

 _"Are you kidding?" he snapped._

 _"No," Dean mumbled._

 _He shook his head and walked back into their room, dragging Dean in behind him. Ben looked relieved when he walked in with Dean behind him. "Get your brother up," Sam said. "We goin' for a ride…"_

 _"Where?" Ben asked._

 _"The last place I remember Dean going to," Sam said._

* * *

 _"Ok, from yesterday, the last thing I kinda sorta remember is us being here in um…" Dad snapped his fingers as he tried to think about the name of the guy's office. He sighed because Alec was trying to sit down again, and Dad couldn't remember anything. "…guy's office…" Dad finally finished, giving up on remembering the name._

 _Uncle Sam was looking through the shelves to try to find something, while he was still babysitting Alec. He pulled on Alec's arm again to get him to stand up again._

 _"Barry Gilman," Uncle Sam said, sounding less annoyed than he thought he would._

 _"Yes," Dad said. "We were here and we were, uh, we were looking for leads." Dad picked up a box and took out what looked like a cigar and stuck it in his coat pocket. "Yeah. Douche tax," Dad said._

 _"Yeah, you did that yesterday too," Uncle Sam muttered._

 _"This is why we should be allowed to come inside more often," Ben said. He knew he shouldn't push it right now, but if Alec had actually been paying attention, then he would've already said it. They'd been pissed off yesterday since Dad and Uncle Sam decided they should wait in the car. If he'd been allowed to come with them yesterday, he could do more than just babysit his brother right now._

 _"Not the time, buddy," Uncle Sam said. "Alright, come here." Uncle Sam was in front of a wall with pictures on it, so he drug Alec over there, and then Dad walked over a few seconds later. "Check these out. Do these shake anything loose, these pictures?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _Dad looked at the pictures for what felt like forever, but then shook his head. "No. None of them."_

 _"Ok, think hard," Uncle Sam urged. "What happened next? I went to hit the lore with the boys. You went out for a burger. So…"_

 _"That's when Alec snuck out too," Ben pointed out. "Which is another reason why we shouldn't have stayed in the car…"_

 _"Ben, I'm serious. Not the time," Uncle Sam said._

 _"He wouldn't have snuck out if we could've gone inside with you," Ben said._

 _"Yeah," Alec suddenly piped up._

 _"Now you wake up," he grumbled._

 _"Yeah," Alec said again. "You're arguing with Uncle Sam. 'Course I'd be awake for that…"_

 _"Dean," Uncle Sam snapped to try to stop him from arguing and to get Dad to answer him._

 _"What do you want me to say? I ate 'em?" Dad asked._

 _Uncle Sam took a deep breath since Dad was frustrating him with his lack of information, and he was frustrating him by arguing with him. "Ok, ok," Uncle Sam said as calmly as he could. "You know what? It's not a big town. How many burger joints can there be?" Uncle Sam looked over at him, and he knew it was going to be a very long day. "Come on."_

 _He brought Alec along with him as he followed Dad and Uncle Sam out of the office. Uncle Sam drove since it was obvious that Dad shouldn't do that at the moment, and he kept pinching and poking Alec to try to keep him awake._

 _They stopped at two places that looked like somewhere that Dad would eat at, but of course Dad didn't recognize anything about either of them. He thought maybe Alec would help a little bit since he knew Alec had been with Dad at some point last night, but Alec just shrugged and tried to sit down in the closest chair._

 _He didn't have much hope for this next place, but he didn't know what else they could do. The worst part was that they could have already been at the right place, but they didn't know since Dad didn't remember anything and Alec just kept shrugging at everything._

 _He tugged on Alec's arm to keep him moving as they walked into this newest bar._

 _"Alright, anything?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"No," Dad said, sounding frustrated. "I mean, this is the third place we've been to. I-I…No. It's…" Dad started to turn around to walk out, but then he stopped. "Wait. It's her from, uh, from the waffles."_

 _Uncle Sam grabbed Dad's arm and quickly headed for the woman, so he drug Alec along with him. The woman did not look happy to see Dad again, plus she was working, so they were kind of interrupting her job._

 _"Excuse me," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Hey," Dad said with a smile._

 _"If you're gonna apologize, you better make it quick," the woman said._

 _"Me apologize?" Dad asked. "Uh, you smacked me."_

 _"You were being a dick. We're even," the woman stated._

 _"Even for what?" Uncle Sam asked before Dad could say anything._

 _"That's none of your-who are you?" she asked, looking at Uncle Sam before she looked at him and Alec. She frowned when her eyes landed on him and Alec, but then she looked back at Uncle Sam. But it looked like she recognized them, so that was a good sign._

 _"Ok, look, whatever happened with us, um, I'm sorry. Ok?" Dad said. "See, here's the deal. We're, um, we're…"_

 _"We're FBI," Uncle Sam said. Uncle Sam quickly got out his fake badge since she was looking at them in disbelief. He rolled his eyes since obviously they weren't FBI, they were teenagers, but she was still looking at them like they were crazy. "Uh, Agents Moon and Entwistle," Uncle Sam said, drawing her attention again._

 _"FBI?" the woman asked._

 _"Yeah," Uncle Sam said._

 _She looked over at Dad, and he sighed. Dad wasn't paying attention again. "Last night, you told me your name was Springsteen," she said. "Like the boss. And your son was the boss in training." She walked away from them, and he rolled his eyes because that definitely sounded like something Dad would say._

 _Dad and Uncle Sam quickly followed her around the bar, and Dad tried to explain, "Uh, yeah, see, sometimes, we have to lie in order to, uh, to…"_

 _"Protect his cover," he said before it got weird that Dad couldn't think of the words._

 _"No way," the woman said, rolling her eyes._

 _"Ok, listen," Uncle Sam tried. "This is actually sensitive. We-we think my partner may have been roofied."_

 _"Seriously," the lady said._

 _"Seriously?" Dad asked._

 _Uncle Sam nudged Dad to get him to stop talking, and then said, "If you can tell us anything about what happened that night, it would be a big help."_

 _"Sure," the lady finally agreed. "He ordered burgers to go. It was gonna be a minute. We were slammed. Then you knocked back…four shots of tequila?" Dad smiled and nodded to himself. "Then you had your kid put some 'sick jams' on the juke, and then you hit the bull."_

 _"He what?" he, Alec, and Uncle Sam all said at the same time. At least something was interesting enough to wake Alec up a little._

 _"I what?" Dad asked._

 _The woman turned around, and he followed her gaze to the mechanical bull. There was a lady on it, but she wasn't very good at it. He felt Alec tense a little, so he looked over, but then rolled his eyes. His brother definitely wanted to try it._

 _"Oh, yeah, you had the hots for Larry as soon as you walked in here," the lady said. He sighed to himself since sometimes he wondered if he really was Dad's clone. Alec definitely was; it was obvious since he and Dad acted alike in almost everything it seemed like. But he didn't. He liked pie and pigging out on junk food sometimes, but he could sit still and he knew how to be quiet. He liked being quiet. He liked watching people and knowing what was going on. He liked to goof off sometimes, but that was mostly because he liked goofing off with Alec._

 _"He-You rode Larry?" Uncle Sam asked Dad in surprise._

 _Dad looked between all of them before he looked at the woman again. "Was I good?" Dad asked._

 _"You were…amazing," the woman said. He rolled his eyes again when the woman smiled at Dad, and Dad hummed, impressed with himself. Yeah, Alec was more like Dad than he was. Uncle Sam rolled his eyes too, which made him smile a little. At least he was like one of his parents. "Anyway, we got to talking, and…you know. We blew off some steam," the woman continued._

 _"Dude, with Alec around?" Uncle Sam asked, hitting Dad on the shoulder._

 _"I don't know," Dad said with a shrug._

 _"Your son danced with half the women in this place. He's got the moves too," the lady said._

 _"You were dancing?" he asked Alec._

 _"I know how to dance," Alec defended._

 _"He's a pretty good dancer," Uncle Sam said. "At least, he was when he was nine." Alec ducked his head and smiled since he liked being told he was good at things. He decided he wouldn't tease Alec about the dancing, even though his brother would've definitely teased him if their roles were reversed. "Did you see him talk with anyone else?" Uncle Sam asked the lady._

 _"My bartender said she saw him and his kid run out of here like their pants were on fire," the woman said. "We were supposed to meet up after close-up, but you never showed." She looked at Dad in concern suddenly and said, "Oh. Poor thing. You were all roofied up. I didn't…I am so sorry if I took advantage of you."_

 _"It's ok," Dad said with a smile._

 _"Does this place have security cameras?" Uncle Sam asked, looking around the bar._

 _"Yeah," the lady said._

 _They were brought to another room where they could see the security footage. The woman left them alone, and they let Alec sit down for a while since he'd been doing a pretty good job of staying awake. He could tell that he was fighting to stay awake, but he'd get him to wake up again once they were done watching the security footage._

 _"Ok, whoa. There we are," Dad said, pointing at the screen where he and Alec had just run out of the bar. "Wait, wait, wait," Dad said, leaning in close to see the screen better as he and Alec confronted another guy on the screen._

 _"What are you doing?" Uncle Sam asked since Dad was really concentrating._

 _"I'm trying to read my lips. 'Now salsa you mittens,'" Dad said._

 _"You can't read lips," Uncle Sam stated._

 _"I can't read lips," Dad agreed. The man that Dad and Alec were talking to suddenly used magic to throw Alec back, and then Dad. "You see that?" Dad asked, shocked._

 _"Yeah, of course," Uncle Sam muttered. "I think we got our witch. What? You don't remember any of this?"_

 _"It's like watching myself on Netflix," Dad said. He rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement._

 _Uncle Sam paused the video and asked, "That guy look familiar to you? That jacket?"_

 _Dad didn't answer, so he said, "He was in one of the pictures at Barry Gilman's office."_

 _"Exactly," Uncle Sam said with a smile. "That might be how you recognized him last night."_

 _On the video Dad shot at the man, which made Dad jump a little. "And I take a shot. I know how to shoot a gun?"_

 _Uncle Sam looks at Dad, and then at him, but he just shrugged back. Uncle Sam gently shook Alec's shoulder and rewound the tape once he was finally awake. Alec watched it, but then shrugged. "Remember any of that?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _"No," Alec said. "But that explains why my head hurt when I woke up."_

 _"Alright, c'mon," Uncle Sam said._

 _They went out the back door where Dad and Alec had chased the guy the night before. Uncle Sam got out a flashlight and looked around where Dad had been on the tape. He grabbed Alec's arm while Uncle Sam was looking and stopped him from sitting on a pile of cardboard boxes. "Here, eat this," he said, giving Alec a candy bar. Alec looked confused for a second, but then shrugged and ate the candy. Hopefully that would keep Alec awake for a few minutes._

 _"Alright, so…you crashed there," Uncle Sam said to Dad. "Uh…you ran that way. Uh, shot, uh…here…" Uncle Sam bent down and picked up a bullet casing. "Yep. Witch-killing bullet."_

 _"Wait," Dad said, walking over to Uncle Sam. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. There are witches?"_

 _"Uncle Sam…" he said, trying to keep the tremble of fear out of his voice, but Dad was starting to scare him. He should remember more than this. And if he keeps forgetting, then what if he forgot about him? About Alec? What if he forgot everything?_

 _"It's ok, buddy," Uncle Sam said before he put his hand on Dad's shoulder. "Dean…witches are real. Vampires, werewolves, witches, they're all real. And we kill them."_

 _Dad was quiet for a few seconds, but then he smiled, "Awesome. That's awesome."_

 _"Right. Right. Come on," Uncle Sam said, walking away from the bar in the direction that Dad and Alec had ran the night before._

 _He grabbed Alec's arm again, who tried to shrug him off, but he wouldn't let him. He could hear Dad and Uncle Sam talking ahead of him, but he was trying to keep Alec awake still. "So, you don't remember anything from last night?" he asked softly._

 _"I already told you that I don't," Alec mumbled._

 _"Nothing? You don't remember dancing or chasing a witch into the woods or anything?" he pushed._

 _"No," Alec said._

 _"How do you feel right now?" Ben asked._

 _"Ben, just leave me alone," Alec grumbled._

 _"Please talk to me," Ben urged._

 _"I feel like I'm moving underwater, ok?" Alec said. "Everything is moving slower and it's hard to keep my eyes open."_

 _"Is talking helping?" Ben asked. "I mean…helping keep you awake."_

 _"It's making me more tired," Alec muttered._

 _"Alright," he said. "Just try to stay awake, ok?" Alec just nodded, so he tugged on Alec's arm to keep him moving._

 _"This is crazy," Uncle Sam said to Dad._

 _"What?" Dad asked._

 _"Me giving you 'the talk'. You know how many times we've had to tell some civilian that monsters are real?" Uncle Sam said. Uncle Sam must have been filling Dad in on what all they hunted._

 _"Yeah, but monsters are real. And we're the guys that kill 'em, man. I mean, come on. Best job ever," Dad said._

 _"Yeah. If you like greasy diner food, crappy motel room, more than one apocalypse," Uncle Sam muttered._

 _"I don't know," Dad said with a shrug. "We kinda sound like heroes to me."_

 _"That looks familiar," Alec whispered to him, pointing at a tree that was still pretty far off. He wasn't sure how one tree could look familiar when all the trees looked the same, but he wasn't going to argue with Alec now._

 _"Uncle Sam, Alec said that looks familiar," he called out, pointing to the tree that Alec had pointed out to him._

 _Uncle Sam took off for the tree, and he was curious enough that he made Alec go faster too. The tree had a bloody handprint and a bullet hole in it. He shook Alec's shoulder and gave him a smile._

 _"We're on the right track," Uncle Sam said as Dad looked at the bullet hole._

 _"Whoa," Dad breathed. "And our best friend's an angel. What?!"_

 _He and Uncle Sam shared another concerned look, and then Uncle Sam said, "We just gotta get you cured."_

 _"Yeah. Ok," Dad said._

 _"Can I sit down again?" Alec asked._

 _"No," he stated._

 _He forced his brother to keep walking since they had to be getting closer to figuring out what had happened. If they could just stay on the trail and find the witch, then they would just kill him, and then Dad and Alec would get back to normal._

 _They found another tree, but this one had strange markings on it instead of blood. "Ok, now, these? Freaky," Dad said._

 _"No, they're just, uh, glyphs," Uncle Sam said, taking a picture of the markings. "Witches use them in spells, but I've actually never seen anything like this before. Maybe Rowena will recognize 'em."_

 _"Maybe," Dad said. "Who's Rowena? That's a weird name."_

 _Dad started to wander away, and he was just about to tell Uncle Sam, but then Alec collapsed. "Shit," he breathed._

 _"Ben, language," Uncle Sam said automatically._

 _"Alec just collapsed," he said._

 _"Shit," Uncle Sam said, running over to him. They carefully got Alec to the ground, but his brother wasn't unconscious, he was just asleep._

 _"Sam! Sam!" Dad yelled._

 _"Stay with your brother," Uncle Sam said before he ran over to where Dad was standing._

 _"What?" Uncle Sam asked._

 _He saw Dad point to the ground, so he slowly stood up and stood on his tip toes to see. "Is that a dead guy?" Dad asked._

 _"Yeah. I think that's our witch," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Cool," Dad said._

 _He forced Alec to sit up, and then got him over his shoulder. He walked over to Dad and Uncle Sam, and Dad actually looked concerned. Uncle Sam carefully took Alec from him, and then said, "No, Dean. Killing the witch was supposed to be the cure. So if he's already dead, then why aren't you…you?"_

 _"Not cool," Dad agreed._

 _"What do we do now?" Ben asked._

 _"Now we get out of here," Uncle Sam said. "Let's go. Come on."_

 _He reluctantly followed Dad and Uncle Sam out of the woods. Alec was curled up in Uncle Sam's arms, his head resting on their Uncle's shoulder. They needed to find a way to fix Dad and Alec._

* * *

 _"Is that a dead guy?" Dean asked, looking over his shoulder at the picture he had of the dead guy on his laptop._

 _"Yeah," he said. He was trying to figure this out while keeping an eye on his brother and his nephews. Ben was doing a good job of trying to keep Alec awake, but Alec was so tired and pitiful, it was almost impossible to say no to him. It always had been, but it was even more difficult when he was tired and pitiful. He could hear Ben telling Alec some story to try to keep him awake, but it didn't sound like it was working._

 _"Whoa," Dean breathed. "Never seen a dead guy before…"_

 _He shook his head, "Uh, yeah, you have. Trust me." Not only had Dean seen a ton of dead bodies, but he had literally just found a dead guy out in the woods._

 _Dean hummed in acknowledgement, but then started over to the boys. That was better. Dean should hang out with the boys, so he could figure this out without having to watch his brother's every move. He shouldn't put this responsibility on Ben's shoulders, but they had to figure this out to get Dean and Alec back to normal. But Dean got distracted when there was a knock at the door, and then immediately headed over to the door to open it._

 _"Hey!" Sam yelled, getting up and getting his gun out at the same time. He saw Ben do the same, while Alec just curled up on the bed, looking a little too much like a cat. "No, Dean, wait a second," he said as his brother opened the door._

 _He breathed out in relief when he saw that it was Rowena on the other side. It definitely could have been someone better, but at least Rowena might be able to help him. She actually liked Alec, so maybe she would help and not be completely horrible._

 _"Who are you?" Dean asked._

 _"Spell's progressed, I see," Rowena said, giving him a smug look._

 _"You-" Dean started as Rowena just waltzed into the room._

 _"Oh, you poor dear," Rowena said, heading for Alec. She stopped and took a healthy step back when Ben growled at her._

 _"I wanted intel, Rowena, not a house call," he said to try to calm his nephew down. Ben and Alec were very protective over each other, and Ben didn't really like or trust Rowena._

 _Rowena walked back over to Dean, who in turn looked at her curiously. "Oh, I have a feeling you'll come to thank me," Rowena said._

 _Dean reached out and touched Rowena's hair, and then smiled, "Mm, your hair, it's all bouncy."_

 _"Why, thank you," Rowena said fondly. She turned to him and asked, "Do we have to fix him? I understand fixing dear Alec, but Dean is just delightful now."_

 _"Rowena," he grumbled._

 _"Alec, wake up," Ben snapped, giving Alec a violent shove._

 _"Ow, why'd you hit me," Alec complained._

 _"Rowena's here. She needs to figure out what's wrong with you," Ben said._

 _"Rowena's here?" Alec asked curiously. He sat up and looked around, smiling slightly when his eyes landed on Rowena. "Hi Rowena."_

 _"Hello Alec," Rowena said, giving him a small wave with a wiggle of her fingers._

 _"Stay awake," Ben grumbled, sitting next to his brother. "I don't want to keep shoving you to wake you up."_

 _"Alright, alright," Alec said, pushing Ben slightly._

 _"Samuel," Rowena said to get his attention. "Those glyphs you found are an archaic form of Celtic. Ogham Chraobh. The Druids used it in their rituals, calling it the 'Language of the Trees'."_

 _"Wait, wait. Now the trees are talkin'?" Dean asked._

 _"Cool," Alec said, smirking over at Ben, who then mumbled, "I don't think that's what she means. Dad's just confused."_

 _"Uh, Dean, do you remember HBO?" Sam asked, trying to find a way to distract his brother. Unfortunately, Dean still looked confused. "Cinemax?" he tried._

 _"Skinemax," Dean said with a wide grin._

 _He sighed, but then grabbed his brother's shoulders and moved him over to the bed that the boys were sitting on. "Great, how 'bout you just watch some TV with your boys," he suggested. He grabbed the remote and turned on Scooby Doo since that should keep Dean's attention and would entertain the boys even though they were teenagers now. Alec immediately moved to lean against Dean, who wrapped his arm around Alec's shoulders. Even though that pretty much guaranteed Alec falling asleep again, at least he would have Dean and Alec in one place. Ben leaned against Dean's other side, and Dean looked even happier. At least he still remembered his kids._

 _"Come here," he said to Rowena, motioning for her to follow him over to his laptop._

 _"There's only one family of witches versed in this kind of magic," Rowena said. "I thought them all dead for years, but when I saw those glyphs…"_

 _"Is this one of 'em?" Sam asked, pulling up the picture of the dead witch._

 _"Gideon Loughlin," Rowena said._

 _"Did you know him?" he asked._

 _"A bit," Rowena said. She sounded like she knew him more than just a bit._

 _"Alright, tell me about this family," he said. They cursed his brother and his nephew, so he needed to know who they were, how many there were, and where he could find them, so he could get this fixed._

 _"A hundred years ago, the Loughlins came over from the Old World and turned a small town on the Mississippi Delta into their own personal fiefdom," Rowena said. "Their children…Gideon, Boyd, and Catrina were like three rotten little peas in a pod. The family possessed a powerful spell book, a tome of Druidic magic called the Black Grimoire. Witches came from around the world to live with them and study its secrets…for a price."_

 _"So what happened to 'em?" he asked._

 _Rowena rolled her eyes, "Hunters happened. Of course, I'd heard rumors one or two survived, stealing away with their book, but I-I dismissed them as gossip."_

 _Dean started laughing, and he saw that Ben was laughing a little bit too, while Alec was definitely asleep against Dean. He hated this, but it had been a while since he'd seen Alec so relaxed. The boys rarely got a good night's sleep thanks to the nightmares. They both had been through terrible things before they had gotten them, and then even more terrible things after. It was nice to see Alec relaxed while he was sleeping even though it was because of a curse._

 _"With Gideon dead, if you want to break the curse on your brother and poor Alec, we need to find that book," Rowena said._

 _"Wait a second, you can't break it?" he asked. He'd had a small hope that they wouldn't need to find the witches at all, but it was just a small hope that Rowena could break the curse. They were Winchesters; they didn't have good luck._

 _Rowena looked offended, "Oh, of course I could, but witchcraft this complex would take time." She looked over at Dean and Alec. "More time than they have. Dean's already begun to forget himself, everyone he's ever known, ever loved. Even you and his boys. Soon he'll forget how to speak, how to swallow, and then…Dean Winchester's going to die."_

 _"Sucks for that guy," Dean said, slightly concerned._

 _"And Alec…" Rowena said when Dean focused on the TV again. "I have no way to know when you won't be able to wake him again until it's too late. He may have more time than most, considering, but there's still no way to know."_

* * *

 _He sat with Alec while Uncle Sam talked to Dad in the bathroom. Weird place to have a serious discussion, but with Rowena in the room, there weren't a lot of options. That's why he refused to go with Uncle Sam to help explain everything to Dad. He had to stay with Alec and make sure Rowena didn't do anything freaky to him._

 _"Damnit…" Dad breathed. "I was supposed to protect him…"_

 _"Dean, we'll figure this out, ok? We always do," Uncle Sam said. "Alec's not goin' anywhere, and neither are you."_

 _"Well, you just told me my whole life story. And I gotta be honest, man, I…I can feel it, slipping out of my head," Dad said. "I mean ganking monsters is one thing. But this…I'm forgetting my own kids. I have two awesome boys who have been through hell, and I'm forgetting them."_

 _"You know, uh, we're gonna, um…" Uncle Sam stopped, and he could tell that he was trying to keep himself together. Uncle Sam didn't know if they were going to be able to fix it this time. They had to fix this. He needed his brother back. Alec was never this quiet, and he hated it. He looked over at his brother and gently shook his shoulder. Alec just frowned a little, turned towards him slightly, but didn't wake up. "We'll figure it out. Alright? We will," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Alec, you gotta wake up," he whispered. Alec didn't really need to wake up, but he hated this. He didn't want to lose his brother. He had to know that he would still wake up. "C'mon Alec. Wake up." Alec forced his eyes open, and then looked over at him. "Hey!" he said, surprised. Maybe Alec wasn't cursed at all. He woke up a lot faster than before, so maybe he was ok. "You're awake."_

 _"You told me to wake up," Alec mumbled._

 _"Do you remember what's going on?" he asked._

 _"Something's wrong with Dad," Alec said, moving to lean against him._

 _"You got cursed too," he said. "That's why you're so tired."_

 _"I don't wanna keep sleeping," Alec whispered._

 _"We're trying to figure out how to fix this," Ben said, rubbing Alec's shoulder. "You know how Uncle Sam is. He'll fix this." He frowned when he saw a tear slip over the bridge of Alec's nose, and then soak into his shirt. "Alec?"_

 _"I'm trapped there again when I'm asleep," Alec whispered._

 _"What?! Trapped where?" he asked, concerned._

 _Alec hid his face against him and shook his head no. He was just about to ask Alec again when Uncle Sam came out of the bathroom. He knew for sure that Alec wouldn't talk about it now._

 _"How is he?" Rowena asked Uncle Sam. He jumped slightly since he'd forgotten about her while he'd been talking to Alec._

 _"Like you care," Uncle Sam grumbled. Rowena looked offended, and then she looked over at Alec, but she didn't argue with Uncle Sam. Rowena really did like Alec, he knew she did. And even though she was a witch, and she had double crossed them before, she had also helped them before too. And she was here now trying to help, so that had to count for something. He still didn't like he, but he couldn't argue the fact that she did care about Alec. He didn't know why, but he would take what he could get just to make sure he still had his brother. "You know, I've seen my brother die, but watching him become…not him…This might actually be worse," Uncle Sam said._

 _"I don't think we should talk about Dad's death," he muttered._

 _"Sorry buddy," Uncle Sam said._

 _He pulled Alec closer when he heard Dad in the bathroom. "Ah. Ok. My name is Dean Winchester. Sam is my brother. Ben and Alec are my two sons. Uh, Mary Winchester is my Mom. And Cas…Cas is my best friend."_

 _"We need to find that grimoire," Rowena said to Uncle Sam._

 _"Of course. Of course. That's your angle, isn't it?" Uncle Sam asked angrily._

 _Alec's arms wrapped around him and he hid his face again, and he was surprised that Alec was still awake, but it made sense because now he wished his brother was asleep. Alec didn't need to hear all of this._

 _"Oh?" Rowena asked, acting like she had no idea what Uncle Sam was talking about._

 _"Oh, come on Rowena," Uncle Sam said, facing off against Rowena, which was kind of funny since Uncle Sam was a giant, especially compared to Rowena. "A powerful spell book shows up and all of a sudden, you're here to help? Altruism isn't exactly your style."_

 _"True," Rowena finally relented. "Also, it never hurts to have a Winchester owe you one…or two."_

 _"My name is Dean Wi-Winchester," Dad said in the bathroom. "My name-My name is…" He looked down at Alec since his arms were loosening from around him. His brother was losing his fight with sleep again, and he didn't have the heart to wake him up again right now. Not when they could hear Dad forgetting everything about their life. He could try to protect his little brother from this. "My…My name is-is…" They were losing their Dad._

 _Uncle Sam suddenly grabbed his coat, which made him stop focusing on what Dad was saying in the bathroom. "Gideon Loughlin's address was in his accountant's file. If the book is there, I'll find it," Uncle Sam said._

 _Uncle Sam started to walk out, and Rowena followed him. "Of course, you'll need me there to help-"_

 _Uncle Sam put his hand up to stop Rowena. "No, no, you're staying here with Dean, Alec, and Ben."_

 _"You need backup," Ben said at the same time that Rowena said, "I most certainly am not."_

 _"You need to stay here with your brother and your Dad," Uncle Sam said to him before he turned to Rowena again, "And I obviously don't trust you."_

 _"Well, obviously," Rowena said. "The Black Grimoire's written in ancient Druid. How do you propose to find a proper spell without me there to-"_

 _"Well," Uncle Sam cut off. "You said a few of the Loughlin's survived, right?"_

 _"That was the rumor," Rowena said. "So you expect one of them to-to what? Translate their ancient super secret family spell book for you? You just killed their brother. They'd sooner use your skin as an outfit."_

 _Uncle Sam waved his gun at Rowena, "They can try."_

 _"This is a bad idea," he tried._

 _"I'll call you as soon as I have it," Uncle Sam said to him. "And you call me if anything changes."_

 _"But-"_

 _"I'll be back soon," Uncle Sam said before he left the motel._

 _Alec was completely asleep now, so he slid out from under his brother and walked over to the bathroom. He knocked until Dad finally opened the door and smiled happily at him. "Hey Dad," he said, hoping Dad would recognize him._

 _"Hey," Dad said. He sighed to himself since Dad would have called him 'buddy' right then, but he didn't, so he didn't know exactly who he was, if he knew him at all._

 _"You ok?" he asked._

 _"I'm great," Dad said._

 _"You wanna come sit by Alec?" he asked._

 _"Sure," Dad said, nodding like a bobblehead._

 _"Do-do you know who Alec is?" he asked._

 _"Um…yeah?" Dad asked. He grabbed Dad's shirt and pulled him out into the main room. Dad brightened when he saw Alec, and then looked back and forth between them. "Hey, you two look exactly alike!"_

 _"Dad, we're twins. Me and Alec are twins and we're your kids," Ben said._

 _"Better just give up," Rowena said. "He won't remember you."_

 _"Yes he will," he argued. "He's my Dad."_

 _Rowena sighed, "It doesn't matter who you are, this spell will make him forget everything. Even you."_

 _"Aren't you supposed to be helping?" Ben grumbled._

 _"Fine," Rowena said dramatically. "Here, help me get your father into this circle."_

 _"Why?" he asked._

 _"Do you want my help or not?" Rowena asked. "When Samuel calls, he will have the spell to reverse this, so we will need to be ready to-"_

 _"Ok, ok, I'll help," he cut off. He didn't want to hear her talk more, and he knew it would annoy her when he cut her off. "C'mon Dad, let's stand in the stupid circle…" Dad stood in the circle without a problem, so at least that was easy. "What about Alec?" he asked._

 _"If you can wake him up, then he can stand in the circle too," Rowena said, putting some things on a table text to his Dad._

 _"That's a bad idea," he said as he walked over to his brother._

 _"What is a bad idea, my boy?" Rowena asked airily, acting like what he said wasn't important._

 _"Dad always touches things," Ben said. "Even when he can remember that he's not supposed to."_

 _"Just go wake your brother," Rowena said._

 _He rolled his eyes, but then smiled when Dad immediately picked up something that Rowena had just put down. He wanted to say, 'I told you so', but he felt like not saying anything would be better. Rowena would know he was right even if he didn't say it._

 _He sat next to Alec and gently shook his shoulder. He was watching Dad and Rowena at the same time though, just to make sure she didn't do anything weird to his Dad. He continued to shake Alec's shoulder though, since his little brother wasn't waking up._

 _"Stop touching everything," Rowena finally said to Dad._

 _"Sorry," Dad said._

 _Rowena looked over at him, and he couldn't help his smirk because he'd told her. He shook his brother's shoulder again and wished he was awake already. Rowena would have believed Alec if he'd told her that, or he'd say something funny right now._

 _"Here. Play with this, and I'll tell you a story," Rowena said, giving Dad a voodoo doll._

 _"You shouldn't give Dad that," he said._

 _"Hush," Rowena said to him._

 _"What's going on?" Alec slurred._

 _"Hey, time to wake up for a while," he said, helping Alec sit up._

 _"I'm so tired," Alec mumbled._

 _"I know, but Rowena's here, and Uncle Sam went to go get the spell book," Ben said._

 _"Alec, would you like to hear a story?" Rowena asked._

 _"What kind of story?" Alec asked._

 _"Come stand next to your father," Rowena said, walking over to them. He growled at Rowena, which made her roll her eyes. "Fine. Get your brother to stand next to your father."_

 _"C'mon Alec," he muttered. He got Alec to stand next to their Dad inside the circle. "So, what's this story?"_

 _"Well, it's not really for you, now is it?" Rowena said._

 _"I'm not leaving, so either tell your little made-up story, or don't. I don't care," Ben said._

 _Rowena just gave him a look before she turned to Dad and Alec. "Once, a beautiful witch was, again, run out of her homeland by those pompous, self-righteous, murderous hooligans. You know them as the British Men of Letters," she said._

 _"Can I sit down again?" Alec asked him._

 _"No," he stated. "Pay attention to the story."_

 _Rowena nodded at him briefly before she continued, "She sought refuge with a family of witches. All she wanted was a roof over her head and a safe place to hone her magic. Yet they threw her out like…like she was common trash. Said she wasn't up to snuff."_

 _"Oh, these witches sound like dicks," Dad said. "I think you got plenty of snuff."_

 _Rowena laughed, "You can really remember nothing, can you? What a gift not to recall the things you've done."_

 _"Rowena," he warned with a low growl._

 _"What have I done?" Dad asked._

 _"Oh, you're a killer, Dean Winchester," Rowena said, ignoring him._

 _"Wait, I…I kill people?" Dad asked, confused._

 _"Scores," Rowena said. "But…but…" Rowena said, putting her hand up to stop him when he took a step forward to stop her. "Though you may be a stubborn pain in the arse with the manners of a Neanderthal and the dining habits of a toddler, everything you've done, you've done…" She stopped and swallowed hard, and then said, "For the greater good."_

 _"Oh, and that's supposed to make it ok?" Dad asked._

 _"Dad-"_

 _"I wouldn't know," Rowena cut him off. "You help those other than yourself." He wasn't sure that he should let her keep talking, but Alec was actually paying attention, so even though he didn't like exactly where this was going, he wasn't going to stop her…yet. "But me, I've done horrible things, and I told myself it was fine. It was the price of power. And power's what matters, right?" Rowena nodded to herself, forgetting that they were even here. "Then I met God and his sister."_

 _"Right," Dad muttered._

 _"The two most powerful beings in the universe, wasting it on squabbling with each other," Rowena continued like Dad hadn't said anything. "I thought, if-if they can't be happy, or at least satisfied, how can there be any hope for me?"_

 _"Are you serious?" he asked. She sounded serious, but it was hard to tell with her._

 _"Is your full name Benjamin?" Rowena asked him. "Now is not the time for silly questions, Benjamin."_

 _"No, I named myself, and it's just Ben," he said. "Answer the question. Was all that for real?"_

 _"Why do you care?" Rowena asked._

 _"Because I want to know," he said._

 _Rowena sighed, but then her phone rang, and she held her finger up to him to tell him to wait. "You're in?" Rowena asked, answering the phone._

 _"Shh," Uncle Sam said on the other end. "Yeah, I'm in. Alright. As soon as I get the translation, you cast the spell."_

 _"Ben…" Alec slurred, swaying where he stood._

 _He blurred to his brother and held him up. "It's alright. I've gotcha. Just try to stay awake."_

 _"This gun is full of witch-killing bullets," Uncle Sam said. He could still hear him through the phone, but it sounded like it was in his pocket now. "So, why don't you go to your grimoire and tell me how to break the memory and sleep spell."_

 _"Boyd wanted to go after you, but I said, 'why bother?' You're hunters," a woman said. "You'll hunt us down, right at our doorstep. Hot and…fresh like pizza." Fresh like a pizza? Seriously?_

 _"I'm not asking you again," Uncle Sam stated._

 _"Abi!" another man suddenly yelled. There was a crash, and then the woman started to chant something._

 _"Age nunc intellectum. Age nunc intellectum atque voluntatem omenem meam."_

 _He could hear Uncle Sam scream in pain, and he was just about to take off to try to help him when Alec collapsed completely. He had to hold his brother up and just listen to his Uncle._

 _"Sam?" Dad asked, concerned._

 _He looked up in surprise, since Dad hadn't even known who he was. But at least he still knew who Uncle Sam was._

 _"What do we do?" he asked Rowena._

 _"We get into that beast that your father drives and go help Samuel," Rowena stated. "Do you know how to drive?"_

 _"Yeah," he said._

 _"Then what are we waiting for?" Rowena asked. "Let's go."_

* * *

 _He was tied to a chair. He pretended to still be unconscious to try to figure out what was going on and where he was at. His head hurt, and someone was checking the ropes where he was tied to the chair._

 _"Boyd, you promised," a woman said. Oh yeah. He was in the witch's house. Ben was right; he should have brought backup. "Without Gideon, we are not a family."_

 _"Well, Cat, you should've thought of that before you went behind his back and pinata'd the accountant," Boyd muttered. "Gideon told you to let it go."_

 _"And let us be cheated by some sniveling, weak human nothing?" Cat asked._

 _"You got our brother killed," Boyd said._

 _"Mm. Well we can bring him back," Cat said. A door suddenly closed downstairs, and then Cat asked Boyd, "Do it. Please. For me?"_

* * *

 _"Catrina Loughlin," Rowena said when a woman slowly walked down the stairs. He didn't like that they left Dad and Alec in the car, but there wasn't a lot else they could've done. Dad and Alec wouldn't be safe coming in here. "The years have not been kind," Rowena said._

 _"Who are you?" Catrina asked in disgust._

 _"Rowena," she said. Catrina still didn't recognize her, which definitely annoyed Rowena. "Rowena MacLeod?"_

 _Catrina didn't say anything, so he asked, "Where's my Uncle?"_

 _Catrina barely looked at him before she looked at Rowena again._

* * *

 _"You don't wanna do this," Sam said, dropping his act of being unconscious. Boyd used a black knife to cut the palm of his hand as he stood near Gideon's body._

 _"Well, well, well," Boyd said. "Look who's awake."_

 _"Ok, so whatever your sister has planned, you don't have to do it," Sam said._

 _Boyd looked at him, and he really wished that he hadn't because that dude was really freaky. "You mean swapping your soul for his?" Boyd asked. His eyes widened in shock, and now he really, really wished that he would've brought backup. "I'm afraid I do," Boyd said._

 _Boyd started drawing something on Gideon's forehead, so he tried to get the ropes to loosen that were around his hands._

* * *

 _"Raggedy Ann," Catrina finally said, still ignoring him, which was very annoying._

 _"Excuse me?" Rowena asked as Catrina started to walk down the stairs._

 _He pulled his gun out and aimed it at her. She didn't even look at him. "I remember you," Catrina said to Rowena. "A rag doll huddled up on our doorstep. I swore I could see the fleas nibbling away at whatever the hell was left of that dirty little body of yours. And still…still, you thought you were worthy of our magic." He took a step back, but kept his gun trained on Catrina once she was at the bottom of the stairs. "And when we disagreed…Oh…how you begged, how you threw yourself down and…offered yourself to each of us," Catrina said._

 _He looked over at Rowena, whose eyes were closed, trying to contain her anger. So, the story she said had been true. It had sounded true, but he still didn't know why she told them all of that. Dad probably wouldn't remember, but he definitely would._

 _Catrina looked disgusted, "Boyd almost took you up on it too. But I told him, it would be cleaner with the pigs."_

 _"You know what they say?" Rowena asked._

 _"Hmm?" Catrina hummed._

 _"Nothing heals old wounds like opening fresh ones," Rowena said._

 _"Hmm," Catrina hummed again, sound unimpressed._

 _Rowena threw something at Catrina, and he was guessing it was magic since it made Catrina fly into a mirror on the wall and break it. His gun went flying out of his hand from Catrina's own magic, and then he was lifted off his feet and thrown back into the opposite wall._

 _"Stupid witches," he grumbled as he pushed himself back up to his feet._

 _Rowena was thrown into another wall, so he blurred over at Catrina, but was thrown against the stairs instead. He groaned in pain and slid down a few steps._

 _"I'm just a little girl, I'm Raggedy Ann," Catrina sang tauntingly. "Oh, Raggedy Ann. Falling apart at the seams."_

 _Catrina threw a piece of glass at Rowena, which landed pretty close to Rowena's face. He forced himself up, but then Catrina turned and threw a piece of glass at him too, which embedded into his shoulder, and then she threw him into the wall again. He slid down to the floor and just decided to stay there for a few seconds._

 _"Just a little girl, Raggedy Ann," Catrina sang again. "Oh, Raggedy Ann." Catrina bent down to pick up another piece of glass but stood up and froze when a gun cocked. He smiled a little when he saw Dad standing there with his gun pointed at Catrina. Alec was leaning against the doorframe, looking too tired to stay standing for long. Catrina laughed at Dad, "A gun? You really think that's gonna work on a…"_

 _She stopped when Dad held up one of the notes that Rowena had left in the Impala. He had written one that had said, 'Went with Rowena to kill some witches, and save Uncle Sam.' Rowena left quite a few, but he hadn't read any of them. But this one said, 'Witch-killing bullets.' He smiled as Catrina scoffed and started to turn away. Dad shrugged and shot her, making her instantly drop._

 _Rowena fell to the floor and looked over at him._

 _He looked up suddenly when someone ran down the stairs. He breathed out in relief when Uncle Sam ran after the male that was running down the stairs. Dad quickly aimed his gun up at Uncle Sam, definitely confused again._

 _"No, no, no," Uncle Sam said as fast as he could. "Brother." He pointed to himself, and then pointed to the man and said, "Witch."_

 _Dad immediately changed his aim and shot the man, who went down. Dad looked back at Uncle Sam and smiled, giving him a thumb's up._

* * *

 _He felt better as soon as Rowena finished the spell. He finally felt awake. He was free from his nightmares._

 _"There. Now that's better, isn't it?" Rowena asked him._

 _He nodded, "Yeah. Thanks Rowena."_

 _"My pleasure," Rowena said, squeezing his shoulder. "Now, run along to your brother. He's worried sick about you."_

 _"What about Dad?" he asked._

 _"I'll do the spell for your father next," she said._

 _He nodded and looked over the railing where his uncle and brother were waiting for him. He smiled when he saw Uncle Sam patching Ben up. He felt like he hadn't seen them in forever._

 _"Alec? You ok?" Ben asked as soon as he saw him._

 _"Yeah, I'm good. The spell worked," he said, running down the stairs. "Are you ok?"_

 _"I'm fine," Ben said. "Uncle Sam's almost done with the stitches."_

 _"I'm sorry…y'know…for being…I don't know…"_

 _"Alec, it's ok. I'm just glad you're back," Ben said._

 _"Me too," he said._

 _"Alright, you should be ok," Uncle Sam said to Ben. "But you're both grounded."_

 _"For what?" he asked._

 _"You were supposed to stay in the motel with your brother. You didn't, and then you got cursed," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Why am I grounded? I didn't do that," Ben muttered._

 _"No, but you trusted Rowena and came after me when I told you not to do that," Uncle Sam said._

 _"Saved your ass," Ben grumbled._

 _"Watch it. I'll make it two weeks instead of just one," Uncle Sam warned._

 _"I'll ask Dad once he's back to normal," Alec said._

 _"Here they come," Ben said as Dad and Rowena walked down the stairs._

 _"Hey. Is that it? Is it done?" Uncle Sam asked Dad._

 _"Who's this hippie?" Dad asked, confused. He smirked since he could tell that Dad was really back, but he was freaking Uncle Sam out, which was great since Uncle Sam had just grounded them. Dad and Rowena laughed after a moment, and then Dad said, "Look at his face. Oh! Kind of like the time when I ate all your Halloween candy. You remember that? Classic."_

 _"Not funny," Uncle Sam stated._

* * *

 _Alec grabbed Rowena's bag for her, and he rolled his eyes since he was guessing this was why Rowena liked his son so much. He knew how to turn up the charm when he needed to. He smiled to himself, proud of his son even though he didn't think he should really be nice to Rowena. But at least Alec was himself again. He wished he could've been there for his son, but he didn't remember hardly any of it. At least Sam and Ben had been there for him._

 _"I can't believe you called Rowena," he said as they all left the motel room._

 _"I can't believe you rode Larry," Sam shot back._

 _"Hey. I was awesome on that bull," he defended. "I was like a god."_

 _"Thank you my dear," Rowena said to Alec as he loaded her bag into the cab. She turned to face him, and then said, "Now, should you experience any odd memories from when you were hexed, conversations, you let me know."_

 _"It's blank, mostly. Really," Dean said._

 _Rowena nodded once, and then got into the cab, closing the door. Sam walked up to the cab though, and Rowena rolled down the window. "Just a second," Sam said with a fake smile._

 _"If you want to thank me, you can send a wee gift basket," Rowena said._

 _"The book," Sam stated._

 _Rowena sighed, and then slowly handed Sam the book. "You're no fun," she said._

 _"We owe you one. Small one," Sam said. Rowena waved at Alec and Ben as the cab drove away._

 _"Boys go pack up," Dean said._

 _"Dad, are we still grounded?" Alec asked, bumping into Ben's shoulder._

 _"Nah, you're not grounded," Dean said._

 _"Dean," Sam hissed at the same time that the boys whooped and ran back inside._

 _"Come on, they don't deserve to be grounded," Dean said._

 _"Well…" Sam said, but he didn't really argue with him. "So, how you holding up after the spell?"_

 _"That thing kicked my ass," he said. He hated that he'd forgotten his boys. He loved his boys. He never wanted to forget them._

 _"You know, I gotta be honest," Sam said. "I was actually, uh, a little jealous at first."_

 _"Of what? The curse that nearly killed me?" he asked sarcastically._

 _"No, just, you know…some of the things we've done, we've had this weight for…forever," Sam said. "And seeing it gone, uh, you looked happy."_

 _"Huh. Well, look, was it nice to drop our baggage? Yeah, maybe. Hell, probably. But it wasn't just the crap that got lost. I mean, it was everything. It was us, it was the boys, it was what we do, you know? All of it. So…that's what being happy looks like? I think I'll pass."_

 _The boys ran outside again and crashed into him. He grunted as he hit the ground, but smiled. He'd missed his boys._

 _"Dad, can I drive?" Alec asked._

 _"No," he grumbled._

 _"What? Why not?" Alec whined._

 _"Because I don't want you sleepin' at the wheel, that's why," Dean said._

 _"Can I drive? I haven't been sleeping nonstop," Ben said._

 _"No. I'm drivin'," he said._

 _"Do you even remember which key it is?" Ben teased._

 _"'Course I do," Dean said, grabbing his son and messing up his hair._

 _"Dad!" Ben complained._

 _"C'mon, asses in the car," he said, gently pushing his boys off of him. His boys ran over to the Impala and put their duffles in the trunk while Sam helped him up again. "I'm getting too old for that…"_

 _"Hey, at least you looked happy," Sam said._

 _"Get in the car," he grumbled. He and Sam got into the Impala and he started her up, ready to hit the road._

 _"Don't forget…'R' for reverse, Dean," Sam teased, causing the boys to crack up._

 _"You're hilarious," he muttered, but he smiled since his brother and his boys were laughing, and it was something he never wanted to forget._

* * *

Present

"Sam…I thought I told you to get rid of them," he grumbled when Sam brought him into the kitchen, where Gabriel, Rowena, and Ketch were all standing. " _Alec_ doesn't want them here, and whatever he wants, he gets. Especially now."

"They can help," Sam whispered. "At least let them try. We can't lose him, so let them try."

"Sure, I'll let Gabriel try, but not Rowena or _Ketch_. What the hell is Ketch gonna do?" he asked.

"You know I've helped the dear boy before," Rowena said, butting in. "Magic may be exactly what he needs."

"And I was with the British Men of Letters, as you may remember," Ketch said.

"You're not helping your case," he growled.

"But we were highly advanced," Ketch said as if he hadn't said anything. "I can help."

"I don't want you anywhere near my son," he said. "You tried to kill him."

"Only once, but I've changed," Ketch said.

"Sam, they can't help him," Dean said. "This is Manticore. We have to find one of the scientists."

"I can do that," Ketch said. "I'll find someone that used to work for Manticore. We had very detailed files on your sons, so I know about Manticore and about it's demise due to the angels. If anyone can find one of their scientists, it will be me."

"Fine. Whatever," Dean said. Ketch nodded once and left the room. "Gabriel…"

"I've healed him before. I don't mind tryin' again," Gabriel said.

"Great," he said, motioning for Gabe to follow him.

"Dean Winchester, I can help," Rowena said angrily. He stopped and looked back at her in surprise. "I care about that boy, and I will be helping him."

"Dean…at least let her try," Sam said. "Alec's in a lot of pain, and if something's gonna help him, then we need to try."

"Fine," he said, softer this time. "You stay with her, and I'll take Gabe over to him."

He walked out of the room before Sam or Rowena could say anything else, and Gabriel walked with him. "Dean, you know we all like the kid, right?" Gabe asked him. "He's a good kid. And he's surprisingly funny."

"How are you even alive?" he asked. He didn't want to talk to Gabriel or even think about Rowena and Ketch, but he did need some help. Alec was his kid, and he had to help him. So, if Gabriel or Rowena could help him, then he needed to let them try.

"Witness protection. I told Ben and Alec all about it, which I probably shouldn't have since they're still kids, but you're the one that watched porn with little baby Alec," Gabe said.

"Porn staring you," he said, shaking his head. "Alec was pretty upset when you 'died'. Took a lot of ice cream for him to get over it. Although, he loved ice cream and figured out that if he acted sad, then Sam would buy him ice cream since he didn't know what else to do…"

"Yeah, well, can't blow my cover just because one kid missed me," Gabriel said. "But I'll try to fix whatever's goin' on with him."

"Usually we can get the seizures to go away with his pills, but it's not working this time," Dean said.

"I'll give it a shot," Gabriel said.

Ben looked surprised when he walked in with Gabriel, but he didn't say anything. Alec was leaning against his brother, but he was too tired to look over at them.

"Hey guys, Gabe's here," he said, walking to be in front of his boys. He crouched down and put his hand against Alec's forehead. Alec scowled at him, but he didn't even try to bat his hand away like he usually did. "How you feelin' kiddo?"

"F-fine," Alec whispered.

"Gabe's gonna try somethin' ok?" he said, running his hand through Alec's hair.

"Ok…"

"I thought you told Gabe to go away," Ben said.

"Thanks a lot kid," Gabriel said.

Ben just shrugged, and then looked to him to make sure this was still ok. He nodded reassuringly to his son and just prayed that this would work. Gabriel crouched in front of Alec and put two fingers on Alec's forehead. Gabriel frowned after a moment, and then shook his head no.

"No? What's wrong? Why can't you heal him?" he asked.

"It's something with his genetic makeup," Gabriel said. "If I just get rid of it…Alec might not be Alec anymore…" Alec looked a little disappointed, but he just leaned against Ben some more. "I can help him sleep, but I can't stop the seizures."

He took a deep breath, but then nodded, "Thanks for tryin'."

Gabriel patted his shoulder, and then put his fingers back on Alec's forehead. Alec was asleep a second later, leaning against Ben. Maybe Rowena would have a way to help him.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Present

"Th-thanks…" Alec whispered as he gently eased him back down on the mattress.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Ben asked. His brother had less energy today, which was to be expected, but it was still a bad sign. Alec's shaking hadn't stopped even though they had used the muscle relaxers and the sedatives, and Gabriel helped him sleep every so often. Rowena had tried a few spells, and even a few other witchy things that he hadn't been comfortable with, but it hadn't done anything either. His brother was wearing down, which terrified all of them. He looked at Alec when his brother took too long to answer and saw that tears were leaking from the corner of his eyes and he was refusing to look at him. "I'm gonna get Dad," Ben said, already running from the room.

He didn't want to leave Alec, but his brother needed Dad, so he would get him. He found Dad walking out of his bathroom, rubbing a towel through his wet hair. "Hey buddy, I was just about to go back to the rec room," Dad said.

"Alec's hurting bad again," Ben said. "I asked him if he wanted to watch a movie after we got back from the bathroom, and he wouldn't answer and…and I just know he's in a lot of pain."

"Ok," Dad soothed. "Let's go on back."

"He's not getting better," Ben said.

"We'll get him back," Dad said. "And then we're going to Seattle to figure out the rest. And Ketch thinks he's close to finding someone, but we'll see about that…But Rowena's got another concoction to try to help with the pain."

"I can't lose him Dad," Ben said, tears falling without his permission. Dad grabbed him and held him close, knowing he needed help. "He's my brother…"

"I know Ben," Dad whispered. "I'm not letting him die. I'll do anything to keep that from happening." He nodded against his Dad and just took a second to relax even though he knew Alec needed them. "Ok buddy, how 'bout you go find one of Alec's favorite movies, and then meet me back in the rec room?"

"Ok," Ben whispered. Dad squeezed his shoulders before he started for the rec room again. He knew he needed to get moving and get back to Alec, but he was so tired. He wasn't sure if he could even move at all. Alec was hurt, possibly going to die, and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Ben?" Uncle Sam asked. He jumped in surprise and quickly turned to look at his Uncle. "Hey buddy, what's wrong?"

"I had to find Dad…" Ben whispered. "Alec was hurting again, and I have to go get a movie to watch…"

"Ok, did you find your Dad?" Uncle Sam asked. He nodded and looked down the hall towards their room. "Ok, do you wanna hit up the kitchen first to find some food or just go find one of Alec's favorite movies?"

"I'm just tired," Ben admitted.

"You could head to mine or Dean's room for a while to get some sleep," Uncle Sam suggested. "Me and your Dad will stay with Alec while you sleep."

"No…no, Alec won't try to sleep at all if I'm not there," Ben said. "I can help distract him from the pain."

"You need a break too, buddy," Uncle Sam said. "Alec will understand, and your Dad will help Alec get to sleep again."

"What about the movie?" Ben asked.

"Hey, I know what movies Alec likes," Uncle Sam said with a smile.

He thought about it for a few minutes, but then shook his head no. "I want to be with Alec."

"Ok, so kitchen first or movie?" Uncle Sam asked, going back to the original question.

"Can we make another milkshake?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, we can make another milkshake," Uncle Sam said. "We'll hit up the kitchen, and then we'll find something for Alec to watch. Do you think Ghostbusters or Indiana Jones today?"

"We always watch Ghostbusters when he has seizures," Ben said.

"Ok, Ghostbusters it is," Uncle Sam said.

* * *

"Hey kiddo," Dean whispered, finally making it back to his little boy. Alec was crying and shaking on his mattress, and he wished he hadn't left him in the first place, but he needed to shower, and he needed to think. He had to come up with a way to save his baby boy. His boys had both been too close to death before, but he _wouldn't_ let them die. But he had no idea how to fix the seizures. "Hey," Dean soothed, getting onto the mattress next to Alec as he gently maneuvered him so he could hold him again. "Ben went to go find a movie for you to watch, how does that sound?"

Alec didn't answer him, and he didn't know if it was because his boy was too tired to answer, or if he was in too much pain to know what he was saying. Either way, he would hold Alec and talk to him to try to make it better. He had to do something to try to make this better.

"I bet he's gonna bring Star Wars," Dean said, even though he knew Ben would bring Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters was their seizure movie, they always watched that when one of them had a seizure. "Do you wanna bet with me?" Dean asked, trying to get Alec to think about something else. "I'm willing to bet 30 bucks, what d'you say?"

"I-it h-h-hurts…it h-hurts s-s-so b-bad," Alec cried.

"I know baby, I know, but try to think about something else, ok? It might help," Dean said. "So, c'mon, bet with me. 30 bucks says Ben brings back Star Wars. I'll even go so far to say that it'll be Episode V, what d'you think?"

"G-ghost-ghost-b-bust-busters…." Alec breathed.

"Ok, so I say Empire Strikes Back, and you say Ghostbusters," Dean said.

"M-m-make it 50," Alec whispered.

"That's my boy," Dean said with a smile. "50 it is." He gently wiped away Alec's tears and said, "Ben should be here any minute. And then we'll watch a movie and I'll even make you some popcorn, how does that sound?"

"O-ok," Alec said.

He pulled Alec as close to him as he could and kissed the side of his head, "You're not allowed to leave me Alec, you hear me? I'll do whatever it takes to keep you alive. You're my kid, my little boy, I can't do this without you."

"I-I'm tr-trying," Alec breathed, on the verge of tears again.

"Shh, shh, it's ok," Dean soothed. "I'm sorry, you're doing good, I'm just scared, that's all." He rubbed Alec's shaking shoulders, and then looked back to the door to try to see if Ben was coming back yet. "I wonder if Ben's having trouble deciding what to watch…"

Alec chuckled, which made him smile because he hadn't heard Alec laugh for a long time. "S-s-sure…" Alec sarcastically muttered.

"You're so sure you're gonna win," Dean taunted. "But this will be the one-time Ben picks something else. I'm sure of it."

"Dr-dream on," Alec whispered.

"Is there anything that might make this even a little bit better?" Dean asked. "Whatever you what, I'll find a way, you just have to tell me, ok kiddo? Anything at all."

Alec turned towards him, making him wrap him up tighter in his arms. "I-I j-just w-w-want th-the p-pain to st-stop…" Alec breathed.

"I'm working on it," Dean said. "I've tried calling that guy that Ben found, but so far I haven't had any luck. But I'm gonna keep trying, and if that doesn't work, then I'll go down there and kick that guy's ass." He didn't want to mention that Ketch was out looking since he didn't trust Ketch and he didn't want to get Alec's hopes up. He wouldn't mention it until Ketch came back.

"D-don't g-g-g-go…" Alec had to stop and close his eyes as a particularly strong tremor wracked his body. "N-not w-with-without m-me…" Alec managed.

"Alec," Dean said with a sigh. "I can't get you feeling better without finding someone to help, and I can't find someone to help if I don't actually _go_ somewhere…"

"N-no," Alec said, snuggling against his chest.

"Alec-"

"R-road-tr-trip…" Alec said.

He sighed again, but gently rubbed Alec's back. "How 'bout we talk later, ok? Let's just wait until Ben gets back with a movie." He could tell Alec was starting to cry again, which was making him feel worse. "Ok, ok, we can all go to Seattle," Dean whispered, kissing the top of Alec's head. "How 'bout we try for a shower here soon," Dean suggested with a small smile. "'Cause you need one…"

Alec laughed and cried at the same time, "O-ok."

"Maybe a bath. The hot water might do ya good," Dean said. He looked over to the door again and decided Ben was talking too long. "Alright, we'll just go real quick and we'll be back before Ben even knows you're gone."

"D-dad…" Alec whined as he took off the wires and the tubes that were connected to his son.

"Don't you 'Dad' me," Dean teased, carefully getting up before he lifted Alec up too. His side still hurt, but he knew he could make it to the bathroom with his kid and help him get cleaned up. Alec would be embarrassed if Sam and Ben were around for this, but Alec was his kid and he was his Dad.

"N-no," Alec tried again.

"And I say yes," Dean said. "You stink and hot water will feel good. And since I don't think you can stand long enough for a shower, that means you're gonna get a bath. Unless you want someone to help you take a shower…" Alec groaned and leaned his head against his shoulder. "You're just lucky I didn't have Ben help you. You got me instead."

"Th-this is s-s-so em-embarrassing…" Alec grumbled.

"Hey, I gave you a bath when you were little," Dean said. "This isn't even all that embarrassing."

"It is f-f-for m-me," Alec said.

He carefully set Alec on the floor, and then turned on the water as hot as it would go. He knelt down next to his son and said, "You have two options here, kiddo. One, I help you into the tub, you relax in the hot water and wash up by yourself while I hang out and entertain you with stories. Or two, I help you stand while you take the shortest shower of your life."

"Op-option one…" Alec mumbled.

"Ok," Dean said with a smile. "Get your arms up, let's get your t-shirt off."

"I c-c-can un-undress my-myself," Alec said.

He couldn't stop smiling since his little boy was finally acting like himself by arguing with him. "Why don't you complain a little more, see how far that gets you," Dean teased. Alec glared at him, but slowly tried to get his arms up once he got his sling off of him. He helped him and quickly got the shirt off, and then checked to see how warm the water was. "Remember your first bath?" Dean asked as he plugged the tub. Alec glared at him, which made him laugh again. "That's the same look you gave me then. You were so mad."

"I d-d-don't l-like b-baths," Alec said.

"Huh, that's what you said then too," Dean said, ruffling Alec's hair. "But then you didn't say anything else because you were giving me the silent treatment, remember? You just glared at me the whole time, but it was your fault that you needed a bath in the first place."

"I w-was m-mad," Alec said. "I d-d-didn't w-want to l-live w-with Lisa and f-f-fake Ben…"

"I know you didn't," Dean said. "But did you have to try to tell me that by refusing to take your pills?"

"I w-was st-stupid," Alec said. "D-didn't kn-know it w-would g-get th-this b-bad…"

"Not taking your pills then didn't cause this," Dean reassured. "This is all on Crowley." Alec looked away from him, but he ran his hand through his hair and quickly went back to his bath story. "Poor Fake Ben just wanted to be your friend, but you wanted nothing to do with him. A lot like your big brother Ben at first." Alec laughed and slowly reached into the tub to throw water on him. "Hey! What was that for?"

Alec just shrugged, probably because it would take too much talking to explain why he did it, but it was ok because he already knew. He knew Alec was just thinking about the time of meeting Ben for the first time fondly, even if it was really awkward.

"But you felt better after you took a bath, you remember that?" Dean asked. Alec rolled his eyes but nodded. "I'm guessing this will make you feel better this time too." He gently eased Alec up, trying his hardest to ignore his groan of pain, and got him undressed and into the tub. Alec's shaking was worse for a few minutes since moving never seemed to help him, but then he slowly started to relax. "See, that feels pretty good, right?" Dean asked. Alec nodded again and closed his eyes. "Hey, don't go fallin' asleep on me here. We're takin' a stroll down memory lane, remember?"

"F-feels a l-little b-better," Alec whispered, forcing his eyes open again.

"I never told you about what all I saw when me and Uncle Sammy went to heaven," Dean said, taking Sam's advice to talk to Alec and tell him about all the good memories he had of him. He knew he wasn't going to let his little boy die, but he couldn't help feeling that Alec needed to hear this right now. Alec looked up in surprise but didn't say anything. "You remember that, right?" Dean asked to make sure. He knew it was hard on Alec to talk while he was like this, but he hated not hearing his son talk to him.

"H-how c-could I f-f-forget…" Alec grumbled before he accused, "Y-you d-d-died."

"I came back," Dean said.

"H-how w-was I s-supposed t-to know th-that?" Alec argued. "I w-was n-nine."

"Do you wanna hear what I saw in heaven or not?" Dean asked.

"W-why are y-you t-telling me th-this now?" Alec asked suspiciously.

He ruffled Alec's hair before he grabbed the bottle of shampoo and held it out until Alec turned his shaking hand over, so he could pour shampoo into his hand. "So heaven was like a greatest hits of whatever happened in your life. All of the best things to just relive over and over again," he said, ignoring Alec's question.

"What w-was in y-yours?" Alec asked, his shaking going down enough for him to slowly wash his hair.

"It was all about you, kiddo," Dean said. "I think if we had stayed on my memory lane, we would've seen every single day since you found us. My first one was you showing up and hanging out with us, killing all those zombies, playing in the park, you eating your first piece of pie, even getting stuck in that stupid TV crap Gabriel put us in made the list. And if we would have stayed, I would have relived every moment, I know it. Everything changed when you showed up at our motel room." Tears slid down Alec cheeks, and he quickly wiped them away, "Alec, I'm sorry, I-"

"I-I w-wish I w-wasn't in th-th-this st-stupid tub r-right n-now," Alec whispered.

"Why?" Dean asked with a small chuckle.

"B-because n-now w-would be a p-perfect t-time for a ch-chick fl-flick m-moment," Alec said.

He laughed and messed up Alec's hair into wet spikes. "After the bath I'll let you have your chick flick moment."

Alec smiled, but then asked, "Th-that w-was b-before I st-started c-calling you D-Dad, right?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "You didn't start calling me Dad until I found you in the bathroom."

"I w-wanted to," Alec whispered. "F-for a l-long t-time, but I d-didn't th-think you w-were ready."

He chuckled again, "I wanted you to call me Dad too, but I didn't think _you_ were ready."

Alec smiled and scooted down, so he could rest his head against the side of the tub. "Wh-what else?"

"What else what?"

"F-from heaven," Alec breathed. "Wh-what else?"

"Tickle fights," Dean said. "So many tickle fights. And chasing you around the different motel rooms…You didn't care back then if you were naked or not when you didn't want to get cleaned up or go to bed."

"Wh-what else?" Alec asked even as tears leaked down his cheeks.

"Carrying you from the car after a whole day of driving," Dean said, just going from his own favorite memories of Alec. "Even when I knew you were faking. You liked to be carried from the car, especially once Ben came along. You were an attention hog once I got both of you." Alec gave him a tired smile, but his shaking had really gone down a lot since he'd hit the water. "Seeing you appear again after you'd been missing for so long…I thought I was never gonna see you again. And then again when me and Uncle Sammy found you and Ben hunting werewolves. You were dead set on believing I wasn't real."

"T-too good t-to be true," Alec breathed.

"Hey, don't fall asleep yet," Dean whispered. "Let's get you dried off, ok? Ben's probably already freaking out."

Alec smiled again and said, "H-he's out-outside the d-door. Pr-probably with clothes…"

He looked to the door to see Ben already walking into the bathroom. "When I didn't see you guys in the rec room, I just figured this would be the only other place you'd be, so I went to get him a change of clothes…"

He nodded for Ben to come inside, and waited until he did before he said, "If I had to go through memory lane again, I know it'd be about you two and Uncle Sam."

"You're not planning on going down that lane, are you?" Ben asked, shooting a glance over to his brother, who gave him a tired smirk in return.

He chuckled and shook his head no, "I'm not planning on it, no."

"G-good," Alec breathed.

"Alright, bath time is over," Dean said. "I think you might be able to actually get some sleep now." Alec just nodded, which was the sign that Alec was out of energy again.

"D-dad…" Alec breathed after he and Ben got him dried off and dressed again.

"Yeah kiddo?" Dean asked, scooping Alec up and holding him close before he could complain.

"D-don't g-go…" Alec whispered.

He gently laid Alec down on his mattress, and then covered him with blankets. He kissed Alec's forehead and reassured, "I'm not going anywhere. Not without you, kiddo."

* * *

 _2011_

 _"Hey Dean! Phone's for you!" He could barely hear Roger over the machinery, but he did, so he stopped what he was doing and walked over to Roger's make-shift office. "It's Lisa," Roger said to him as he walked up._

 _"Thanks," he said, taking the phone. "Hey Lisa, what's up?"_

 _"The school called," Lisa said._

 _"Shit…did Alec start another fight?" he asked. Things were not going well with Alec back in public school. He knew it was a bad idea because he'd already been kicked out of two schools back when Sam was alive. Now that Sam was gone, Alec had been acting out even more than usual. It didn't help that he didn't really want to live with Ben and Lisa, but he needed his son to give this a try. They needed to try to be normal for a change. Sam was gone._

 _"No, Dean…Alec's in the hospital," Lisa said. "The nurse said he had a seizure, and then he wouldn't talk to anyone. They called an ambulance when he had another one."_

 _"I'll go get him," he said._

 _"Dean, you don't sound surprised that he's having seizures," Lisa said._

 _"He's, um…he's got a medical condition," he said, hoping that sounded believable. "I'll go get him, and then bring him home."_

 _"Don't you think he should stay in the hospital for the night?" Lisa asked. "Me and Ben can come up there with you."_

 _"Probably better if I just go get him," he said reluctantly. "We'll be back tonight."_

 _"Alright," Lisa said with a sigh. "Give him a hug from me, ok?"_

 _"I will," he said._

 _Lisa hung up, and then he turned to his boss. He kind of hated having a real job. He hated asking if he could take off for the rest of the day to do something important. He missed driving to new places, and he missed the excitement of hunting. But Sam was gone, and he'd promised Sam that he would try to give Alec a normal life. He was still trying to find a way to get Sam back, but he wasn't going to let anyone know that he was trying to get his brother back. Alec needed normal. Or at least, they needed to try to be normal._

 _"Trouble in paradise?" Roger asked him._

 _"My kid's in the hospital," he said._

 _Roger looked up at him, and then asked, "What're you still doin' here? Your kid needs ya."_

 _"It's ok that I leave?" he asked._

 _"Dean you're a great worker, and your kid's in the hospital," Roger said. "I'll see ya when your kid's better."_

 _"Thanks," he said. Roger just smiled a little and nodded as he took off for his truck. He hated his truck. He missed his Baby, but Baby was for hunting. He was just a normal, hard-working American who never did anything like killing vampires._

 _But even though he was driving a truck instead of his Baby, he still floored it to the hospital. He should have been paying more attention to Alec. He'd finally gotten him to start talking again a few weeks ago, but he'd made him mad the other day because he'd forced him to hang out with Ben for a while. Alec had told him that he wanted to leave after that, and he'd said no, and then Alec had yelled at him and called him a liar. He'd felt terrible after that, but he'd thought Alec would cool down and be ok again. He should've paid more attention to him._

 _He ran into the hospital after he parked and went right up to the desk. "Can I help you?" the nurse asked him._

 _"Um, yeah, my son, Alec-"_

 _"Aww, you're Alec's Dad!" the nurse said with a big smile. "Alec is so cute!"_

 _"Yeah, he's adorable," he agreed with a tight smile. "But the school said he had a couple seizures."_

 _"He's getting some tests done right now, but I can take you to his room, so you can wait," the nurse said._

 _"He's got a medical condition, so the tests are unnecessary," Dean said. "I have some pills for him that were prescribed by his primary doctor." He prayed that he sounded confident enough with this lie. He didn't have any proof if they asked him, but he wasn't going to let Alec go through anymore tests._

 _"Oh," the nurse said. "Ok, well, I'll talk to the doctor."_

 _"Can I see him?" he asked._

 _"If you'll just have a seat, I'll let you know when he's back in his room," the nurse said._

 _That wasn't going to work for him. He pushed past her, ignoring her protests that he wasn't allowed back here. He wasn't going to let Alec be put through more tests, traumatizing him even more than he already was. Alec just didn't_ do _hospitals. Luckily, he knew his way around hospitals. He'd only been in the pediatrics side of a hospital a few times; some when he was a kid, and just once so far with Alec._

 _"What test is he in right now?" he practically growled at the nurse._

 _She jumped, but then said, "Um…I believe he was getting an MRI."_

 _"Any available personnel to MRI. Any available personnel to MRI," the intercom suddenly announced._

 _"Where's MRI?" he asked. Alec was freaking out. He knew Alec was freaking out, which meant he was probably fighting with the hospital staff._

 _The nurse didn't argue with him anymore, and instead took him to where Alec was. "Daddy!" Alec yelled when he saw him, pushing more than one person to the floor._

 _"Hey baby," he breathed in relief, scooping his baby boy up and holding him close. Alec was shaking badly in his arms, but at least they were together again._

 _"I w-wanna g-go," Alec whispered._

 _"I know, baby," he said, running his hand through Alec's hair. He was shocked that Alec was talking to him again, but he wasn't about to ruin that._

 _"Sir-"_

 _"I'll sign whatever it is that I gotta sign," he growled. "He's got a medical condition, so he doesn't need to stay. I'm taking my son home." Maybe if he said that Alec just had a medical condition enough times people might start to believe him and just let them leave._

 _"I have to advise against that," the doctor said. "Your son-"_

 _"I already know what's gonna help my son. If you want me to sign something, then you better get it because we're leaving," Dean stated. He stood up with his son in his arms and headed for the door. The nurse that he had talked to before had him sign a few papers and took down his information before she told him that if Alec got worse, then he should bring him back. He just nodded once and walked outside._

 _"Alright baby, I've got some pills for ya," he whispered. He took Alec over to the truck and sat him down on the passenger seat. Alec just curled into a ball and hid from him, his little body still shaking. "C'mon kiddo, you need to take some pills for me." Alec shook his head no and turned further away from him. "Alec…please? We gotta get your seizures stopped, so you gotta take some pills." Alec still wouldn't look at him. Fine. He could be the bad guy if it meant Alec would take his pills. Now he knew how his Dad felt when he or Sam wouldn't do something. He felt a pang in his chest thinking about Dad and Sam, but right now he had a stubborn little boy to take care of. "I got you out of that hospital because I thought you were gonna take your pills and cooperate here, but if you're not, then I'll take you right back inside," he said._

 _Alec finally turned a little and held out his tiny hand for a couple pills. He put two pills into Alec's hand, but then scowled when Alec threw them as hard as he could and curled into a tiny ball again. He slammed the door shut, and then got into the driver's side. He didn't know why Alec was refusing to take his pills, but he wasn't ok with it._

 _Alec never fought with him, so he didn't know what was going on. They argued sometimes, but never like this. He could almost always fix whatever was wrong, but he couldn't fix this. He could fix the seizures, but he couldn't just leave Lisa. She was nice enough to let them stay with her, and he wanted to stay with her, he just didn't know how to get Alec to want to stay with them too._

 _He drove back to Lisa's house, trying his hardest to ignore Alec's little whimpers of pain in the seat next to him. He scooped Alec up even though his little boy tried to wiggle out of his arms. He was surprised that Lisa was already home, but she had offered to come to the hospital to sit with him and Alec, so she must have taken the rest of the day off._

 _"Hey," she said when he walked in, still struggling with Alec._

 _"Hey," he grunted back._

 _"What's going on? Is he ok?" she asked in concern._

 _"He's bein' stubborn," he said. "I'm gonna take him upstairs…We'll be back down in a bit."_

 _"Ok…" she said, sounding uncertain. "Just yell if you need help."_

 _"Yep. Will do," he muttered, walking up the stairs. He was starting to wear out since Alec was nonstop struggling against him. His little boy was way too strong, even with the seizures. And he had to keep holding him since he was fairly certain that Alec would make a break for it if he let him go. "We're gonna sit here until you tell me what's goin' on," he said, closing the door to Alec's room._

 _He had picked out everything in Alec's room, and it made him a little sad that Alec hated it so much. He'd gone with a space theme, so he could put little glow in the dark stars on the ceiling and put in a lava lamp and a little solar system. Alec's bed was shaped like a rocket for crying out loud. It was adorable, but Alec had just shrugged when he showed him. He wanted Alec to like living here, but no matter what he did, Alec still hated living here._

 _"You at least have to take your pills," he said when Alec didn't look at him. "Is this why you're having seizures, huh? You stopped taking your pills?" Alec wiggled out of his arms and ran over to his bed, curling up in the middle. For all the times he couldn't get Alec to stop talking, this was so much worse. He hated when Alec refused to talk to him. "You have to take your pills, kiddo," he said, trying to be a little softer. He didn't want to yell at Alec. He just wanted his kid to be ok. "I'm not gonna leave you alone until you take your pills so…"_

 _He walked over to Alec's bed and sat down next to him. He caved in and just picked Alec up, holding him against his chest. He rubbed Alec's back and hummed to him, trying anything to get him to feel better. Alec was still shaking against him, but at least he wasn't trying to fight him anymore. Alec fell asleep after a while, but he just kept holding him and humming._

 _It was dark when there was a light knock on the door. Lisa opened it a moment later and peeked inside. "How's he doing?" she asked._

 _"He's been asleep for a while," he said._

 _"So, this medical condition…" Lisa started. "When were you going to tell me about this?"_

 _"Um…never?" he said with a shrug. "Alec hasn't had them for a while, and he doesn't like talking about it."_

 _"You do realize that this is something that I needed to know about," Lisa said. He frowned since he didn't know why Lisa would need to know that Alec got seizures sometimes. "Dean, you two live here. If you were at work while I was watching the kids and Alec had a seizure, I wouldn't know what to do. I would call for an ambulance because I don't know anything about Alec except that he likes pie and I'm not allowed to call him anything but his name."_

 _"I'm sorry," he said, knowing that he needed to apologize. He still didn't really see the issue, but if he didn't apologize, then Lisa would be mad at him too, and he could really only handle Alec right now._

 _"I know Alec doesn't like me, but this is something that I needed to know," Lisa said. "Are there any other secret medical conditions that I should know about?"_

 _"No, it's just the seizures," he said._

 _"Are you going to tell me the real story about how you got Alec?" Lisa asked._

 _"You don't believe that his mother died, and then social services tracked me down?" he asked._

 _"Not even for a minute," Lisa said. He didn't say anything, and instead just looked down at Alec. "Alright, you don't have to tell me."_

 _"It's just hard to talk about," he muttered._

 _Lisa walked over and gave him a quick kiss before she walked over to the door again. "I'll bring up some food in a little bit. Anything in particular for Alec to try to make him feel better?"_

 _"Grilled cheese," he said automatically._

 _"Alright, grilled cheese coming right up," Lisa said, leaving the room._

 _"Will you take your pills now?" he asked softly, knowing Alec was awake again. Alec nodded, but he still wouldn't talk to him. At least Alec was going to take some pills for him. It took some more convincing for Alec to eat even a little bit of the grilled cheese that Lisa brought him, but he did take a few bites, so at least that was good. He was still shaking though, and that wasn't good. "Alright kiddo, time for a bath."_

 _"No," Alec breathed, clinging to him. "No D-daddy."_

 _"Yes," he said. "It'll make you feel better."_

 _He walked over to the bathroom and held Alec close as he started the bath. Alec still refused to let go, but he was pretty sure this would actually help. He sat Alec down on the floor, ignoring the glare that was following him around the room. He could pretty much guarantee that this would make Alec even more pissed off, but he figured it was more important to make him physically feel better than just make him happy._

 _"C'mon, arms up," he said, kneeling down in front of Alec to get his shirt off. Alec just glared at him. "I'm not gonna drop this either. Probably easier to just get this over with."_

 _Alec finally put his little arms up, so he quickly got his shirt off of him. "I d-don't like b-baths," Alec stated, glaring at him again._

 _"Well, this isn't like normal baths," he said, pouring a good amount of bubbles into the hot water. "This is gonna be fun." Alec didn't say anything, but he wasn't fighting him either, so still ok. He helped Alec get undressed, and then picked him up and put him in the hot, bubbly water. He caught Alec smiling just a little bit, but then he glared again when he saw him watching him. He chuckled and gently washed Alec's hair._

 _His little boy slowly relaxed in the hot water and smiled a little more when he started playing with the bubbles. He waited until most of the bubbles were gone, and then drained the tub and wrapped Alec up in a giant towel._

 _He carried Alec back to his room and helped him get dressed again. Alec shivered though, once he was dressed, and reached up to try to get him to pick him up. He immediately picked Alec up and held him close, and walked over to the bed, laying down with his little boy._

 _"Alec, you can't do this again, ok kiddo," he whispered, running his hand through Alec's damp hair. "You gotta take your pills. Seizures are definitely not good for you, and you can get seriously hurt when you have one. You gotta promise me that you won't do this again."_

 _"I pr-promise," Alec whispered._

 _"I know you don't like it here, but I'm doin' my best," he said, holding Alec closer. "I miss Sammy so much…but I still have you, and you're my awesome baby boy. I can't lose you, Alec."_

 _"I'm sorry D-daddy," Alec said. "I won't d-do it again."_

 _"Good," he said._

 _"Can you st-stay with me t-tonight?" Alec asked, wrapping his little arms around him._

 _"Sure thing, kiddo," he said. He kissed the top of Alec's head and held Alec, rubbing his back and humming to him again._

* * *

Present

"Oh you poor dear," Rowena said to him. He smiled a little even though he was in an incredible amount of pain. "You look much worse than you did the day before. If _Samuel_ would have let me come check on you _sooner_ …"

"H-he's j-just pr-protecting m-me," he whispered. Ben put his hand on his shoulder, silently telling him that he didn't have to talk if he didn't want to. He was resting on Ben's leg, and he was too tired now to be embarrassed. It helped to have Gabriel knock him out every so often, but Dad and Uncle Sam worried about how knocking him out like that every so often would impact his mental health. His parents were always worrying about his and Ben's mental health.

"Well, I've created another concoction to try that may help," Rowena said.

"He threw up the last one," Ben said for him.

"This one has a slight minty flavor that should help settle his poor stomach," Rowena said.

"T-tell her," he breathed.

"He's worried that he'll throw it up even with the mint," Ben said. "And then he'll have to take another bath, and he hates baths even though Dad's not budging on that." Ben looked down at him and said, "You do know that the baths help. That's why Dad won't budge even though you hate them. And you don't really hate them because you didn't even argue last time." He opened his mouth to argue, but Ben spoke before he could, "And don't argue now because I know you better than anyone else, so I know you liked the bath when Dad put bubbles in it." He just glared at his brother.

"I have something else to try, and you do not even have to ingest it," Rowena said.

"What is it?" Ben asked suspiciously.

"Hush," Rowena said to Ben. He smiled a little since he thought it was funny when people told Ben to be quiet since he was typically quiet, especially compared to him. "Now, Benjamin, help sweet Alec sit up for me, dear," Rowena said.

He actually chuckled since Rowena called Ben, Benjamin. That was hilarious. "My name's Ben. And Alec isn't supposed to sit up. Especially while Dad's not around."

"Benjamin," Rowena chastised.

He chuckled again, which made Ben roll his eyes. "I'm only not making a big deal about this since it actually got you to laugh," Ben grumbled.

"We don't have all day, Benjamin. This will actually help Alec," Rowena said.

Ben grumbled under his breath, but he did help him sit up. He groaned at the movement and tried to hide the spike of pain that moving caused. "This better be good," Ben warned Rowena. Even if it wasn't, at least he could convince Ben to help him to the bathroom again. Ben moved the tubes of the nasal cannula out of the way and supported his back. He was glad that he was downgraded to just the nasal cannula instead of the oxygen mask even though the oxygen mask helped more. He wasn't about to admit that out loud though.

Rowena delicately knelt down on the mattress and reached out for him. Ben growled though, definitely overprotective at the moment. "Benjamin," Rowena snapped. "I am here to help your brother. Although I understand your reluctance, you must know by now that I truly care about Alec."

"Yeah. Why is that?" Ben asked. Rowena motioned to his shirtsleeve, and Ben rolled his eyes, but unbuttoned his flannel shirt even though he was really glaring at his brother.

"Alec and I share a special bond," Rowena said like it was obvious. She reached out again, and this time Ben let her pull his shirtsleeve down his arm. He moved his glare to her instead, but she just waved him off, "You hush."

"How?" Ben asked. "You've been around Alec the same amount that you've been around me."

"Are you jealous of your brother?" Rowena asked.

"No. I just don't get it," Ben said.

He rolled his eyes but winced as a strong tremor shook his entire body. He forced himself to not cry right now. He would wait until Dad was back. It was ok to cry in front of Dad.

"Well, if you must _know_ , Alec is my favorite," Rowena said, pulling a jar of something out of her bag. She dipped some of it out, and then looked at him and raised her eyebrows. He frowned since he had no idea what she wanted. "This will give your muscles a very pleasant tingly feeling," Rowena explained.

"It won't make his arm fall off, right?" Ben asked.

"Oh Benjamin," Rowena said dramatically. She reached out and put some of the gunk on his arm, and then massaged his muscle.

"My name's just Ben," his brother said.

"Is this helping, my dear?" Rowena asked him. He thought about it for a second, and then nodded. It was actually helping. "Other arm," Rowena said to Ben.

"I can't turn him," Ben said. "Moving makes it worse."

"Must you make _everything_ difficult?" Rowena asked.

"You're lucky Dad and Uncle Sam went to go get more supplies," Ben grumbled.

"B-ben…" he whined.

"Does it actually help?" Ben asked him.

"Yeah," he whispered.

Ben grumbled a little more under his breath, and then helped him move. Ben got his shirt off, and then Rowena put more of the gunk on his other arm. "This won't turn his skin a weird color or anything, right?" Ben asked. "Dad's gonna kill me if you turn a weird color…"

"It won't turn him a weird color," Rowena said. "Alec, do you trust me?"

"Yeah," he said.

"There you go," Rowena said.

"I think I should text Dad," Ben said.

"Text away," Rowena said. "Alec, would you like me to put some of this on your back?"

"Y-yes," he said before he begged, "B-ben?"

"Fine," Ben said with a sigh. His brother helped him lay down again, taking off the electrodes from the heart monitor, so he'd be more comfortable. "I'm still texting Dad."

He groaned, but he didn't argue. Dad was going to be pissed no matter what, so it might as well be Ben who got to argue with him. His muscles did feel a lot better, but he was so tired. He closed his eyes as Rowena massaged more goop onto his back.

"Dad?" Ben said. Dad must have called Ben as soon as he'd gotten his text.

"What's going on?" Dad asked, sounding tired.

"Rowena has some kind of goopy stuff that's she's putting on Alec," Ben said.

"What does it do?" Dad asked.

"She said it makes his muscles tingly," Ben said.

"Is it helping?" Dad asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"Ben, if something helps your brother, then we're gonna try it," Dad said. "Even if it's Rowena, and even if it's some kind of goopy stuff."

"What if it makes his arms fall off, or what if it turns him a weird color?" Ben asked.

"I know you're worried about you brother, but I think we can trust Rowena, ok buddy?" Dad said. "Rowena actually really likes Alec, so I doubt she's gonna do somethin' to hurt him."

"Alright," Ben muttered.

"I'll be home soon buddy," Dad said. "Alec, I'll be home soon."

He barely raised his thumb up, so Ben said, "Alec gave you a thumb's up, so I guess he is feeling a little better."

"Try to be nice to Rowena," Dad said.

"Ok," Ben said, sounding unhappy.

"Told you," Rowena said once Ben hung up.

"Whatever," Ben mumbled.

"Now, how does that feel?" Rowena asked him.

"B-better," he breathed.

"Do you want anything?" Ben asked. He shook his head no, but then decided he might actually be able to drink some of a milkshake now. He looked up at Ben and sort of shrugged. "Alright, I'll go get a milkshake," Ben said. His brother sighed, and then asked, "Rowena, can you stay with him?"

"I would be delighted," Rowena said. Ben rolled his eyes, and then left the room. He was surprised that Ben agreed to leave him alone with Rowena, but Dad probably reassured him enough until he got home. "If this really does help, then I will make more to give to your father," Rowena said.

"Y-you c-c-can t-tell…" he had to stop and clench his jaw as another strong tremor shook his body.

"Alec, you don't have to talk," Rowena soothed.

He shook his head and forced out, "You c-can t-tell th-them th-the tr-truth…"

"I have only loved one boy my whole life, and my son, _Fergus_ , killed him," Rowena said, gently rubbing his back again. "And I have only had one true friend, dear Alec, and that has been you." He tried to blink away the tears, but he was too tired, so tears slid down his cheeks to soak into the pillow. "No one, especially not a _hunter_ , would have ever done for me what you did. You are my dearest friend, Alec." Rowena gently dabbed at the tears that were still falling, and then massaged his back again.

He may have dozed off for a while, but he woke up again when Ben came back. His brother looked reluctant to move him, and he agreed wholeheartedly. He didn't want to move again for the rest of his life. "Alec…" Ben said. His brother tried to silently ask him what he wanted him to do, but he didn't know.

Rowena stood up, and he and Ben watched her as she walked across the room. She grabbed a few pillows, and then brought them back to Ben and took the milkshake from him. He caught Ben smiling, but then he groaned when Ben moved him even just a little bit. Two pillows were put under his head and chest to prop him up slightly. Ben plopped a straw in the milkshake when Rowena gave it back to him, and then held it so he could take a few sips.

"Hello Samuel," Rowena said.

"What did you put on him?" Uncle Sam demanded. "I want ingredients. Now."

"Oh Samuel, don't be so dramatic," Rowena waved off.

"Dramatic?!" Uncle Sam said, quite dramatically. He wanted to point out how dramatic his Uncle was being, but that would take too much effort. "You waited until Dean and I left before you put that crap on him. I want to know what it is right now."

"Sam, take it down a few notches," Dad said. Dad walked over to him and smiled when he saw that he was actually drinking a milkshake. "Alec, did that junk that Rowena put on you help?" Dad asked him. He nodded, so Dad looked at Uncle Sam and made a gesture that clearly said that he just answered everything.

"Just because it helps, it doesn't mean it's good for him, Dean," Uncle Sam said.

"Sam…" Dad said with a sigh.

He closed his eyes as another tremor shook his body. Rowena huffed, "Fine Samuel. I will get you a list."

"Thank you," Uncle Sam said.

"Come along," Rowena said, smiling over at him as she left the room.

He took another sip of the milkshake and smiled when Dad ruffled his hair. "Did it really make you feel better or are you just sayin' that 'cause it's Rowena?" Dad asked.

"It h-helped," he whispered.

"Then I don't care what's in it," Dad said.

"As long as it doesn't turn him any weird colors or anything, right?" Ben asked quickly.

"It won't turn him any weird colors," Dad reassured.

"But it's Rowena," Ben said.

"Who loves Alec," Dad said. "If it helps, we're gonna keep using it. And your Uncle will make sure everything's ok for Alec."

"I'm gonna go make sure too," Ben said.

Dad took the milkshake, and then Ben ran out of the room to go find Rowena and Uncle Sam. "You feelin' better, kiddo?" Dad asked, running his hand through his hair. He took another small sip of the milkshake and barely nodded back. "I don't care what's in that crap, or even if it turns you a weird color, if it helps, we're gonna keep using it, ok?"

"Ok," he said, knowing Rowena wouldn't do anything that would hurt him.

"You want me to turn on the TV?" Dad asked. He nodded again, so Dad turned on the TV for him, and then moved him just a little bit, so he was resting on Dad's lap and the pillows. "Tell me if you need somethin', ok baby?"

"Ok," he whispered as he closed his eyes again.

* * *

 _2010_

 _"Alec, c'mon kiddo. No more stalling. Bedtime," Dean said, knocking on the bathroom door. They were at Bobby's house, which always made Alec really excited because he knew they were here to have some fun. He loved letting Alec have fun like a normal kid, but it was a nightmare to get his kid into bed._

 _The door opened, and then a naked blur zoomed down the stairs._

 _"Holy shit! Alec, you're soaked!" Sam yelled in surprise from downstairs. "And naked…" He sighed but walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel before he headed downstairs. "Dean, your naked son won't get off of me!"_

 _"I'm comin'," he said._

 _"Uncle Sam!" Alec yelled, giggling like a maniac._

 _"Go get some clothes on, you little monster," Sam said, laughing._

 _"No! No bedtime!" Alec yelled._

 _"Yes bedtime!" he yelled back._

 _Alec blurred away from him again as soon as he was at the bottom of the stairs. "He went that way," Sam said, pointing towards Bobby's study._

 _"He's got way too much energy," he grumbled._

 _"You gave him the ice cream," Sam pointed out._

 _"It was a 12 hour drive to get here," he said. "The kid's gotta have something to reward him for being good for 12 hours."_

 _"Maybe ice cream's not the way to go," Sam said with a smug smirk._

 _"Shut up," he muttered._

 _"Boy, you are naked," Bobby said from the other room. "Get off my lap and get some clothes on."_

 _"I don't wanna go to bed," Alec stated. "Bedtime is stupid and I'm not tired."_

 _"Get off my lap, ya idjit," Bobby said. Alec giggled like a maniac again, and then streaked back through the room. He tried to catch his kid with the towel, but Alec dodged him and blurred toward the kitchen. "Dean, your boy's gone wild," Bobby said, fighting off a smile when he saw him._

 _"I'm not sure I can keep up with him," he said._

 _"I don't think anyone can," Bobby said, and then teased, "Maybe you should get him a little brother."_

 _"And then have two monsters? I don't think so," he mumbled._

 _"If Alec had a brother, he wouldn't have so much energy," Bobby said with a laugh._

 _"I wouldn't have_ any _energy," he said, leaving Bobby's study. He just had to get Alec dressed, and then he could capture his exhausting nine-year-old, and throw him on the bed. If he fell asleep, then Alec would fall asleep._

 _"Dad! I'm hungry!" Alec yelled from the kitchen. His son was the most exhausting when he was already tired. They needed a hunt. They needed a nice ghost hunt so Alec could go with them and use all of his energy. Why couldn't he pretend to be asleep when they got here so he could carry him inside and they could both sleep for hours and hours and hours._

 _He walked into the kitchen and saw Alec's little naked butt sticking out of the fridge. "Alec…"_

 _"I'm hungry," Alec said again._

 _"If you get dressed, then I'll make you whatever you want," he said._

 _Alec started to run out of the room again, but this time he was ready for him. He caught his wild child in the towel and wrapped him up as fast as he could to trap him. Alec wiggled to try to get away, but he had him now, so he wasn't going to let him go._

 _"Dad…" Alec whined._

 _"You are way too hyper," he said, tickling Alec even though that was making it way more difficult to hold onto him. "Where does all of this energy even come from?"_

 _"I don't know," Alec said. He hauled his kid back into the living room, ignoring Sam as he chuckled on the sofa. "I'm still hungry," Alec said, going boneless in his arms._

 _"You get food when you get dressed," Dean said as he walked back upstairs._

 _"Clothes are stupid," Alec said._

 _"Clothes aren't stupid," he argued. "I bought you new pjs, and they aren't even from a thrift store, so you can't complain about the smell this time, or the fact that you're wearing some other kid's pjs. Plus, they have little dinosaurs on them, and dinosaurs are awesome."_

 _"If I put on clothes, can I watch a movie and have food?" Alec asked._

 _"Only if you actually sit still during the movie," he bargained._

 _"Only if you_ promise _that we get to play all day tomorrow," Alec said. "And you_ have _to play. All. Day."_

 _"Deal," he said. "Now go get dressed." He released Alec, and his kid actually ran back to the bathroom. "Come downstairs once you're done and I'll make you a grilled cheese."_

 _"Yay!" Alec yelled from the bathroom. He started back downstairs but smiled when Alec jumped onto his back before he was at the bottom. "They still smell weird," Alec said, wrapping his little arms around his neck._

 _"That's what happens when you buy brand spankin' new pjs," he said. "You wanna hang out with Uncle Sammy while I make your sandwich?"_

 _"Can't I stay with you?" Alec asked pitifully._

 _"Yeah, you can stay with me," he said, trying to hide his smile. He just loved being a Dad so much even though Alec was seriously exhausting sometimes. He loved his kid and he couldn't believe he'd gotten so lucky getting Alec. If they could just figure out this whole apocalypse thing, then everything would be perfect._

 _"Tomorrow, we're gonna go to the creek and we're gonna play on the broken cars and we'll go to town and eat ice cream and play at the park and we can play Risk with Uncle Sam and kick his ass," Alec said as he made a grilled cheese._

 _"Anything else?" he asked._

 _"I reserve the right to add things tomorrow when I think of them," Alec said._

 _"Ok kiddo," he said. "As long as we get to sleep in, I'm good."_

 _"You said we could play_ all _day," Alec said._

 _"And we will, but we're gonna sleep past six," he said._

 _"Ok, so I'll wake you up at 6:01," Alec stated._

 _He laughed and shook his head no, "That's way too early."_

 _"You said past six and that's past six," Alec said._

 _"Let's try seven," he said. Alec growled, which made him laugh again, "Don't growl at me."_

 _"6:30," Alec said._

 _"6:45."_

 _"6:15."_

 _"You're goin' the wrong way, kiddo," he said._

 _"We can go to bed after I eat if we wake up really early tomorrow," Alec said._

 _"We're goin' to bed when I say we're goin' to bed," Dean said. "And we're not wakin' up before 6:30."_

 _"That's not fair," Alec whined._

 _"Hey, I agreed to 6:30," he said. "And we can watch a movie before bed." Alec didn't say anything, so he said, "And we'll have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast."_

 _"And whatever I want tomorrow, right?" Alec asked._

 _"Anything within reason," he said._

 _"Ok," Alec said happily._

 _He brought Alec back to the living room and sat next to Sam on the sofa with Alec sitting on his lap, eating his grilled cheese. He popped in Jurassic Park, and before the movie was even halfway over, Alec was fast asleep._

 _"How much did you promise him for tomorrow?" Sam asked, running his hand through Alec's hair._

 _"Everything," he said with a smile._

* * *

Present

"Dad, he's seizing again," Ben said, waking him up.

He helped get Alec onto his side, and then just had to wait for Alec's seizure to stop. He forced himself to hold back tears because his son was in pain and there was nothing he could do to help him. He'd thought that he was starting to improve, but he'd had three more seizures in the last few hours. He was to the point where he actually wished Ketch would call.

Sam ran in with a wet washcloth, and then the three of them just sat and waited. He held his son as soon as the seizure was over, and Sam put the washcloth on Alec's forehead.

"Dean…what're we gonna do?" Sam asked. "He's not getting any better."

"Ketch is still out there looking," he said. "The baths are helping and whatever Rowena's goopy stuff was helped too."

"He drank most of a milkshake today," Ben said.

"But he's not really eating anything else," Sam said. "We're gonna have to figure out something else."

"D-dad…" Alec breathed.

"Hey baby, I'm here," he said, gently brushing Alec's hair back. Tears streaked down Alec's cheeks, and he hurt knowing he couldn't help his kid.

"Alec, remember that time that Uncle Sam got married," Ben said. Alec smiled a little bit and nodded. "We both thought he was on drugs."

"If you remember right, Becky _was_ drugging me," Sam said.

"I just thought you'd gone insane again," Dean said, smiling when Alec huffed out a laugh.

"It wasn't nearly as bad as you knocking up an Amazon," Sam said. "Who then tried to kill you."

"We almost had a sister," Ben said, nudging Alec and giving him a smile. "Uncle Sam just _had_ to shoot her."

"She was trying to kill your Dad," Sam defended.

"I think I could've talked her out of it," he said.

"N-n-no sis-sister," Alec breathed.

"You didn't want a brother at first either," Ben said. Alec whimpered, so Ben quickly grabbed his hand. "Remember our time in the Wild West? Dad was such a dork."

"I was not," he said, pretending to be affronted.

"D-dork," Alec said with a forced smile.

"But so was Uncle Sam," Ben said. Alec actually laughed a little, which was good.

"Like you two were so smooth," Sam said.

Alec looked at Ben, so Ben said, "Alec still objects that there weren't any child labor laws and he doesn't think it's fair that he had to sweep the floor of the bar to stay in the bar while I just had to wipe down glasses."

"S-s-s-" Alec looked frustrated and stopped trying to talk, so he decided to jump in, "C'mon Ben, it was a saloon, not a bar."

"How could I be so silly," Ben replied dramatically.

"D-dad," Alec whispered.

"Yeah baby?" he asked.

"H-h-heat-pad…" Alec said.

Ben jumped up and blurred from the room, so he said, "Better not get used to this kind of thing. We're not gonna just run to get you things as fast as we can once you're back on your feet." Alec shook his head no, which was his way of arguing right now. "It's true. Pretty soon, you're gonna have to get your own food and take baths by yourself…"

"N-no b-b-baths," Alec breathed.

"But you love baths," Dean said.

"No," Alec said, which was his current version of 'I do not.'

"Yeah, you do," he said. "If you didn't love baths, then why do you take one every day?" Alec just glared at him, but he got Sam to chuckle. "Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing."

Ben ran back in, and Sam quickly plugged in the heating pad to warm it up. "You wanna try some soup?" Sam asked as he put the heating pad on Alec, who just glared at Sam now instead of him. "Don't look at me like that," Sam said. "I'm just suggesting soup, I'm not teasing you on baths."

"You laughed at Dad's joke," Ben said.

"Did you hear the joke?" Sam asked Ben.

"Yeah, but I didn't laugh because Alec would be glaring at me now instead of you if I had," Ben said.

"I'm making you soup," Sam said, ruffling Alec's hair before he got up and headed for the kitchen. "You can't live off of milkshakes," Sam called over his shoulder.

Alec rolled his eyes and snuggled against him. "I don't think falling asleep will get you out of eating soup, kiddo," he said.

"It might," Ben said.

"Hey, this interpreting thing is great since you know what Alec wants to say most of the time, but right now, at this moment, not helpful," he said. Ben just smiled back at him, so he reached out and messed up Ben's hair. "Alec, if you fall asleep, I will wake you up again," he warned.

"'Mkay," Alec slurred.

He kissed the side of Alec's head and brushed his hair back. Alec did fall asleep, but he didn't wake him up when Sam came back, even though Sam glared at him, and silently told him that Alec needed to eat. He knew Alec needed to eat, but he needed to sleep too. He could try to eat the soup when he woke up again, and then they would try more things to get Alec back.

He wasn't going to lose his son.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

 _2012_

 _"Dad…" Ben whispered, tears in his voice._

 _He quickly turned around to see his little boy standing in the doorway, shifting from foot to foot, looking anywhere but at him. "Hey buddy," Dean said, trying to smile, but failing. He quickly stood up and picked Ben up and held him close, carrying him back to the sofa. "Can't sleep?" Ben shook his head no and hid against his chest. "Ok buddy," Dean whispered, holding Ben closer. Bobby had just died, and his boys weren't sure how to react. This was the third night that Ben hadn't been able to sleep, and he hadn't seen Alec since they had gotten back to Rufus's cabin. He knew Alec was still in the little room that he and Ben were sharing only because Ben told him what Alec was doing, which was nothing. All Alec was doing was sleeping, and he didn't know what to do. "Did…did Alec take his pills today?" Dean asked, his throat tight from tears he was holding back._

 _"Yeah," Ben said._

 _"Was he awake more today?" Dean asked._

 _"No…"_

 _"Ok…I'll try to talk to him again tomorrow," Dean said. Ben silently cried, but he fell asleep against him after a while. He held him all night, unsure what else he could do to help. He didn't even know how to get over Bobby's death himself, let alone get his boys through it. He picked Ben up once the sun started to come up and carefully tucked him back in bed, next to his brother. Alec didn't move when the bed shifted, so he walked around, and then sat down next to him. He brushed Alec's hair back and smiled when Alec's eyes slowly opened. "Hey kiddo," Dean whispered. Alec's eyes slowly closed again, so he asked, "You hungry? You want something to eat?" Alec shook his head no and turned so he could ignore him easier. "Ok…just let me know if you want something," Dean said. Alec didn't move at all, so he leaned over slightly and kissed the side of his head before he went back to the other room._

 _Sam was awake when he walked back into the main room and asked, "Did you get any sleep last night?"_

 _"Maybe a couple hours," Dean lied._

 _"Ben couldn't sleep again?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah…he can't sleep, and all Alec is willing to do is sleep," Dean muttered._

 _"Dean…they don't know how to deal with losing someone," Sam said. "Alec was there when Ellen and Jo died, but he didn't know how to deal with it then, and he barely knew them. Neither of them knew what to do when Rufus died, but Bobby was like a Grandpa to him, to both of them. I don't know how to get them through it except to be here for them…"_

 _"Ben's making sure Alec eats at least a little bit every day and is taking his pills," Dean said, trying to ignore most of what Sam said. It hurt too much to think about losing Bobby._

 _Sam sighed, knowing he was refusing to talk about it, but said, "Ok, so, we'll keep trying to talk to him. Maybe try to get him to sleep out here instead of in there…"_

 _"He doesn't want to talk," Dean said. "I can't force him to talk to me."_

 _"Dean-"_

 _"I'm gonna try to figure out what these numbers mean," Dean cut off._

 _"Ok," Sam said._

* * *

 _A week went by, but nothing changed. He didn't have any idea how to help his boys, he didn't know how to deal with Bobby's death, and he had no idea what the numbers meant._

 _"Hey buddy," Dean said when Ben walked into the kitchen area. His little boy looked like a zombie with dark circles under his eyes and the shuffling of his feet. Ben barely looked up at him before he reached for the coffee pot and poured himself a cup of coffee. He smiled, a real smile, which he hadn't done in days, and asked, "You sure you wanna try that?" Ben nodded like a bobblehead and took a sip of the hot drink. "How is it?"_

 _"Good," Ben said, walking over to the living room to sit on the sofa._

 _"Y'know, that'll stunt your growth," Dean said. Ben shrugged, so he said, "Alright, just don't drink too much, ok? That stuff will give you as much energy as…" He trailed off before he could say that Ben would have as much energy as Alec, because Alec seemed to have no energy lately._

 _"I'm gonna go with Uncle Sam today," Ben said._

 _"What? Why?" Dean asked, trying not to sound panicked. But he didn't want either of his boys to leave this cabin. They weren't safe in the outside world. He couldn't protect them out there, but he could keep them safe if they stayed in the cabin._

 _"I…I want to go outside," Ben whispered. "I don't want to be around Alec right now…"_

 _"Ben, I'm sorry," Dean said miserably. "I don't know what to do for him. I'm trying to think of a way to get him back to himself, but I've got nothing."_

 _"I know," Ben said._

 _"Hey, you ready?" Sam asked, walking back into the cabin. Ben looked over at him before he looked back to Sam and nodded. "We're just gonna go to the store," Sam said to him. "We should only be gone for a little while."_

 _He just nodded and turned away. He heard the door close, and then the Impala started from outside the cabin. He tried to work on figuring out the numbers again once they were gone, but he still had no idea what they could be, and all he could think about was Alec in the other room, just sleeping by himself. He managed to stay occupied for a total of 13 minutes before he walked over to the room the boys had been staying in. Alec was asleep, as usual, but he didn't walk around the bed to try to talk to him again. Instead, he kicked off his boots and got into bed next to Alec, pulling the covers over both of them._

 _He had planned on just holding Alec for a while to let him know that there was someone there with him, but he accidently fell asleep. He only sort of woke up when he heard the cabin door open and close, but he smiled slightly when he felt the familiar little heater against his side. Alec was snuggled against him, sleeping soundly._

 _"Dean?" Sam called out from the other room. He didn't answer since he knew Sam would be able to find them. It only took his brother a few seconds, and then the door was slowly being pushed open. "Hey," Sam whispered._

 _"Hey…"_

 _He frowned a little when he saw that Sam was carrying Ben, but his brother shrugged and said, "Coffee can only get you so far before you crash. You want him?"_

 _"Yeah," Dean said, smiling again._

 _Sam brought Ben over to him, and then he had both of his boys with him, snuggled up on either side of him. "Get some sleep, ok?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah…ok," Dean whispered. He held both of his boys closer and fell asleep again._

* * *

 _"C'mon kiddo," Dean said, picking Alec up and walking back to the main room. Alec grumbled a little, and hid against his neck, so he rubbed his back as he walked. Thankfully, Alec wasn't sleeping as much as he had been, and he was actually willing to get out of bed. His little boy would stick as close to him as he could if he wasn't in bed, but it was an improvement._

 _"Uncle Sam, can I have some coffee?" Ben asked, following Sam around in the kitchen._

 _Sam chuckled, "No buddy, you've got too much energy as it is."_

 _"No I don't," Ben argued. "Can't I just have one cup?"_

 _"I think we need to cut off your supply," Sam said. "You've gotten addicted to that stuff."_

 _"I really, really like it," Ben said._

 _He walked over to the sofa and sat down with Alec on his lap. "You ok with him having coffee?" Sam asked him._

 _"Yeah," Dean said. The boys didn't ask for much, so he wanted to give them what they wanted. Plus, they had just lost Bobby, so if a little coffee made Ben feel better, then he could have some coffee. "You want anything yet?" Dean asked Alec, gently brushing his hair back._

 _"No," Alec breathed._

 _"Ok, but you'll have to eat at some point," Dean said._

 _Ben walked over to the sofa with his coffee once he had it and sat down next to him. Ben snuggled against his side as he sipped the coffee, while Alec snuggled against his neck and fell asleep again._

 _"Dean…" Sam said, slowly walking over to sit in the chair. "I, um…I wonder if…if we…I mean, should we be telling people? I mean, people he knew."_

 _"I think we should take a trip over to Frank," Dean said. He didn't want to talk about Bobby's death, especially to people he didn't know. "He's gotta know something by now. I gave him those numbers a while ago."_

 _"Don't you think we should call Bobby's people?" Sam asked, refusing to let this go._

 _"Why is that our job?" Dean grumbled._

 _"Because who else is gonna do it?" Sam challenged._

 _"I'm not calling anybody," Dean said. "If you want to, you go right ahead."_

 _"I don't want to call anybody. You kidding me?" Sam asked._

 _One of the phones in one of their duffle bags started ringing, and Sam looked to him to see if he was going to answer it. He scowled at his brother before he looked at his boys, who were all over him. "I'm not getting it," Dean muttered._

 _Sam huffed as he stood up, and then dug around in the bag to answer the phone. "Hello?" Sam asked. He held his boys closer, trying to decide if they should make the trip out to see Frank or not. He didn't really want to see the man again, but he really wanted to know what those numbers meant. "Uh, no. He's, uh…um, it's not…but I'm a friend of his," Sam said. Sam looked over at him and shrugged. "He's…not here, but, look, if you need s-"_

 _"Who was it?" Dean asked when Sam dropped the phone from his ear._

 _"Just some kid," Sam said._

 _"For Bobby?" Dean asked, figuring out that's why his brother was stumbling around, stuttering like he'd forgotten how to talk. "Girl scout cookies?" He stood up with Alec, looking back at Ben to make sure he was ok, and he nodded back to him._

 _"I think maybe…" Sam muttered in thought. "Maybe a-a hunter's kid? I mean, she sounded pretty scared. You know, I have a caller ID. Maybe we should go find her. We-we can check on her."_

 _"What about Frank?" Dean asked._

 _"Well, Dean, I think we should go find this girl first," Sam insisted._

 _"Sam, Frank's been working on the numbers that Bobby spent his last breath on, and you want to back-burner that?" Dean asked. Sam just looked at him, so he walked over to the table to drink the beer he'd left out the night before. "Fine. You go check out girl scout. I'll find Frank."_

 _"Fine," Sam said. "But you know what? On one condition. If Frank is just spinning his wheels, then you bail out on crazy and come meet me."_

 _He ignored his brother's request, and instead complained, "And thanks for drinking my entire beer."_

 _"I didn't touch your beer," Sam said. "Do you want the boys to split up, or both of them go with you?"_

 _"Alec's comin' with me no matter what," Dean said. He looked over at Ben and asked, "Buddy, you wanna go with me or Uncle Sam."_

 _"Uncle Sam," Ben said. "I don't really like Frank…"_

 _He took a deep breath and let it out before he nodded, "Ok, but you stay with Uncle Sam, ok? No running off without him and if he says no coffee, then that means no coffee, ok?"_

 _"Ok," Ben said._

* * *

 _He knocked on the apartment door while he held Ben's hand with his other. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew they needed to help if they could. And maybe this would help Ben find a way to deal with Bobby's death. He still didn't know how they were going to talk to Alec, but maybe Dean would find a way to talk to him on their trip. He wished they would have all stayed together but Dean needed to figure out those numbers._

 _"Hello?" Sam called out when he heard some movement on the other side of the door. "Um, we…spoke on the phone earlier?" Maybe if whoever he talked to earlier didn't answer the door, then he could catch up with Dean and Alec a lot faster than he thought he would. But the door opened a crack, stopped by a chain that was still on the door. "Hi," Sam said. "Uh…I'm Sam and this is my nephew, Ben. You sounded like you needed help, and we were in the area."_

 _"How'd you find me?" A girl asked suspiciously._

 _"Your Dad is in Bobby's address book," Sam said._

 _"So, where is he?" she asked._

 _"Bobby? He, uh…" he looked down at Ben, who gripped his hand a little tighter. "He's passed away. Look, um-"_

 _"Krissy," she cut in._

 _"Krissy," he said. "I get it. You don't let strangers in. But if your Dad said you could trust Bobby, then you can trust me too."_

 _The door shut, but he could hear her undoing the chain before the door was opened again. "Just so you know, 911's on speed-dial. One button," she warned._

 _"Yeah, sure," Sam said. "Note taken."_

 _"So…you're a salesman too?" Krissy asked._

 _"Yep," Sam said easily. He was a little surprised that she didn't know what her Dad did, but he understood not wanting her to know. He hadn't wanted Alec to hunt with them, and he still didn't want the boys to hunt, but he didn't really have much of a choice. If they didn't bring them along, then they would find their own trouble, which was worse. At least if they brought the boys with them, then they knew where they were and could watch out for them. "So, your Dad's on the road right now? Been gone for a while?" Sam asked._

 _"He usually calls every night," Krissy said._

 _Ben and Alec were 11 now, and he knew they could take care of themselves, but he couldn't imagine leaving them somewhere while he and Dean went on an extended hunt. He hated it when his Dad did that to him and Dean, so even though he didn't want the boys hunting, he couldn't drop them off somewhere either. "How long has it been?" Sam asked._

 _"Five days," Krissy said. Dean would be a nervous wreck if they left the boys alone for five days._

 _"It's just you and him, huh?" Sam guessed. She nodded, so he said, "Look, um…Sometimes on the road, crap happens. So, I'll help you track him down."_

 _"Really?" Krissy asked, surprised._

 _"'Course," Sam said. "Did he happen to say where he was going?"_

 _"Said he had a couple leads near Dodge City," Krissy said._

 _"And does he have a desk or something where he keeps his stuff?" Sam asked. Krissy started for another room, and he followed her, keeping hold of Ben's hand. The boys usually wouldn't let them hold their hands anymore unless they were really scared about something or were in one of their moods. He would think it was weird that Ben hadn't said anything yet, but Ben didn't usually talk very much. If Alec had been with him, then he would be worried, but Ben was usually a pretty quiet kid._

 _Krissy brought them to what looked like an office. He wanted to look around without Krissy since she didn't know about hunting, but he didn't know how to get her to leave them alone in here. He looked down at Ben, and then looked back at Krissy and asked, "Would you mind getting him something to drink?_

 _"Sure, what do you want?" Krissy asked Ben._

 _"Coffee. Black," Ben stated without even having to think about it._

 _Krissy gave him a funny look, so he quickly said, "He'll have water." It was almost impossible not to laugh, or at least smile, at the matter-of-fact way that Ben asked for coffee._

 _"Why can't I have coffee?" Ben asked as Krissy left the room._

 _"Because I said so," Sam said even though he hated that answer. He quickly walked over to the desk, but he didn't find anything related to hunting in his desk, so he moved to the closet._

 _"It won't take her very long to make me_ water, _" Ben grumbled. He sighed since Ben was right. Luckily, he'd already found what he'd been looking for. Behind the clothes there was a board with weapons hanging on either side. There were missing person notices all over the board, but he mainly looked at an article titled 'Monsters in our Midst' and 'Trucker Missing, Rig Found in Ditch'._

 _"You can have coffee later," Sam said, grabbing Ben's hand again. "Or not at all. You shouldn't drink coffee. You're only 11."_

 _"I'm very mature for my age," Ben stated. "I could see Alec not needing coffee. He's a pain without adding more energy, but I'm not."_

 _"You can be," Sam said. He led Ben back into the kitchen where Krissy was. "Hey, listen," he said to get her attention. "So, I think I got an idea where to start. So we're gonna go. Um…Can I borrow this?" He held up the picture of Krissy and her Dad that he'd taken from the desk._

 _"Yeah," Krissy said with a shrug._

 _He was glad he hadn't let Krissy make any coffee since they were only here for a few minutes. He handed Krissy a card with Dean's number on it and said, "Here. Here's a number in case you don't hear from me in the next couple days. Don't worry. I promise I'll check in."_

 _"Don't say that," Krissy said. "That's what my Dad said."_

 _He wanted to reassure her that he was going to make sure that didn't happen, but he couldn't. He just nodded and walked back out with Ben next to him._

* * *

 _No bribe was working to get Alec out of his funk. He'd gotten junk food, which Alec picked at, he blared the music, which Alec ignored, and he even let Alec sit up front with him, but his little boy didn't lean against him or anything. He did manage to make Alec laugh at one point when he'd accidentally spilled a big glob of ketchup down his shirt. He didn't even care about the mess since Alec's giggle had made a short appearance._

 _He slowly pulled up to Frank's place even though he knew Alec didn't really like the man. Alec followed him out on his side and stuck as close to him as he could. He drew his gun once he got closer since he had a bad feeling about this. Alec had his gun out too, and as much as he had never wanted Alec or Ben to carry guns, he did feel better that Alec was going to be able to protect himself if something happened. And it was a good sign that Alec cared enough to get his gun out. He hated putting his boys in danger, but if this got Alec out of his depression, then as long as they both came out alright, then it was ok._

 _"This can't be good," Dean whispered as they made their way into the house. It was cluttered, but empty. He didn't see any sign of Frank, which definitely wasn't good. He quickly pulled Alec behind him when a gun cocked, and at the same time, he spun around and raised his own gun. "Well…hi," he said when he saw that it was Frank pointing a shotgun at them. "Frank…we're amongst friends here," Dean said when Frank didn't lower his gun. "Ok…acquaintances."_

 _"That's just what a Leviathan would say," Frank said._

 _He rolled his eyes because, seriously, this guy was way too paranoid. "Frank. I'm not a Leviathan," Dean stated._

 _"Oh, sure," Frank said sarcastically. "You're not a Leviathan. Dick Roman's not a Leviathan. Gwyneth Paltrow is not a Leviathan."_

 _"Yeah?" he asked, surprised._

 _"Trust me," Frank said._

 _"Ok," Dean said. "You know what, Frank? I think you've been doing a_ little _too much research."_

 _"They're anywhere, anyone," Frank said. "Who's to say this ain't the day they come for old Frank who knew too much?"_

 _"I'd kill him if I was a Leviathan," Alec muttered behind him._

 _He internally groaned since of course the time that Alec finally spoke, he would say something like that. "They bleed black goo, right?" Dean asked before Frank could decide that shooting them would be the safest play he could make. "You want to see what I bleed?" Frank shifted his aim to his foot, so he quickly yelled, "Oh! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's take the guns out of it, ok?" He reached behind him and pushed down on Alec's gun to mess up his aim in case he decided he was in too much danger and shot Frank._

 _"Ok," Frank finally agreed after a few tense seconds._

 _He sighed and put his gun down on the closest counter and pulled out his switchblade. He cut his forearm and said, "See? Red-blooded American." Frank slowly lowered his gun a little but looked at Alec suspiciously. "Don't even think about it," he growled. Frank lowered his gun the rest of the way, and then held out the knife for Frank to take. "Now, your turn."_

 _"Oh! Whoa. Look, I'm obviously not-"_

 _"Fair's fair, douchebag," Dean growled._

 _"The little Leviathan didn't have to prove it," Frank said._

 _"I'm not a Leviathan," Alec said. "I'm Alec. You've already met me before, weirdo."_

 _"And I said he's out of it," Dean said. Frank finally took the knife and made the smallest cut on his palm that he could before he handed the knife back. "I'm glad we could share that together," he muttered sarcastically._

 _"Grab your gun, come with me," Frank said. "For God's sake, don't make any noise._

 _He rolled his eyes but grabbed Alec's hand and followed Frank. They went to a barn with a trailer inside of it, which was smaller and more cramped than Frank's house. "Why the downsize?" he asked as he maneuvered himself to a folding chair, and then reached for Alec since there was nowhere else to sit. Alec leaned against him once he was sitting on his lap, and he wasn't sure if his little boy was going to fall asleep again or not._

 _"You! 'Hey, Frank, go dig up some dirt on Richard Roman.' That night, I was burned off every IP I had. Ears on my phones, eyes on my house…" Frank said, sitting down at the computer._

 _"Wait…Dick's got people watching you?" Dean asked._

 _"Do I look like I know?" Frank asked back._

 _"Paranoid weirdo," Alec muttered under his breath._

 _"You think it's easy to see this deep into what's real and also be bipolar with delusional ideation?" Frank said. He either hadn't heard Alec or he was ignoring him. He hoped he was just ignoring him since he didn't want Frank to blow up on Alec. "There is no pill for my situation, sweetiepop, so, yeah, best guess…the bigmouths are onto me. Next question."_

 _"Alright. Well, what's the word on the bigmouths?" Dean asked._

 _"Their tentacles are everywhere. I'm looking at bankers, military high-ups," Frank said, trailing off._

 _"This is why you didn't call me back," he stated, annoyed._

 _"Hey, cut me some slack. You called me like four days ago," Frank said._

 _"I call you four_ weeks _ago, Frank," he said with a sigh._

 _"What? No. Really?" Frank asked, thinking about it before he shrugged. "Days, weeks…quit busting my chops."_

 _"What, are you kidding me?" Dean growled._

 _"You cool your heels, Buster Brown," Frank said._

 _"Frank, I paid you 15 grand for this," he said._

 _"Where did you get 15 grand?" Alec asked. He ignored Alec's question since he didn't want to answer it. He should've just used that money on his boys instead of paying Frank to do nothing. He should have known Frank wasn't going to be any help._

 _"Yeah, I get that-"_

 _"No, you_ don't _get that!" he yelled. "Dick Roman is every card in my hit deck. You understand that? Those numbers, they got something to do with him, ok? Bobby_ died _for those numbers."_

 _"Look, I'm sorry about Bobby. I really am," Frank said. "You know, this one time, we were in Fresno, and we got stuck-"_

 _"No. No, no, no. I'm not gonna play 'this one time with Bobby' crap, alright?" Dean snapped. Alec was sitting frozen on his lap, like it was taking everything he had not to break down right then. "I'm not gonna get all warm and fuzzy with somebody else who barely knew him."_

 _"Just trying to make friendly conversation," Frank muttered._

 _"This is not a friendship, Frank. I'm paying you!" he said._

 _"Hey. You know what you need? A little LSD, a little shiatsu-"_

 _"I'm out of here," he said, standing up with Alec held against himself._

 _"Hey, you want to know what those numbers are?" Frank asked, stopping him. "Bupkis. They're not lottery numbers, license-"_

 _"I know that, Frank. Thank you," he said. He wasn't an idiot; he could do research on his own. He only went to Frank because he'd tried everything that he could think of._

 _"Which leaves us little else to do but probability generate," Frank said._

 _"Come again?" he asked. He sighed and slowly sat down again since Frank might actually do something._

 _"You run most reasonable possibilities for a Levi-related five-digit number written by a dying drunk, you come up flat. Know what you start to wonder? 'Hey, maybe I'm missing a number.'" Frank said._

 _"Well, how do you figure?" Dean asked._

 _"Oh, I don't know. Because Bobby was dying of brain trauma. I just had a tickle there was a reason nothing was popping out at us, so I set up a program to run possibilities for six numbers, seven, eight. But good news," Frank said._

 _"Good news?" he asked, wishing Frank would just get on with it._

 _"Dad…can I go wait in the car," Alec whispered to him._

 _"Not right now, kiddo," he said. He wasn't going to let Alec out of his sight, even though he could tell Alec wanted to be alone or sleeping right now. He ran his hand through Alec's hair and held him closer to try to help however he could._

 _"Never had to go past six, because this…" Frank said, acting like he and Alec hadn't said anything. He typed in '454893' in the computer and continued, "…my little lamb, is coordinates."_

 _"You sure? To what?" he asked._

 _"A field in Wisconsin," Frank said._

 _"That's helpful," Alec said sarcastically._

 _"No. No, Bobby didn't give us coordinates to some patch of weeds in Cheeseville," he said._

 _"No, he gave you coordinates to a parcel recently purchased by Willman, Inc., a subsidiary of…Richard Roman Enterprises," Frank said smugly._

 _"So, what do we do?" he asked._

 _"Stay away," Frank stated. "Or, if we're stupid…we go there and set up surveillance."_

 _He smiled a little and kissed the side of Alec's head. They finally had a lead, even though it wasn't a very good lead, but at least they knew what the numbers meant. Frank was still nuts, but they could set up some surveillance and figure out what was going on._

 _He left Frank to pack up whatever they needed and carried Alec outside of the barn before he got his phone out. "You wanna talk to Ben?" he asked Alec, but Alec just shrugged back, so he dialed Sam's number. He wanted to check up on them, and make sure Ben was ok before they went anywhere._

 _"Hey, find Frank?" Sam asked._

 _"Yeah. Those numbers? Coordinates. Dick bought some land. We're headed there now," Dean said._

 _"Wait, wait, wait. You're just gonna drive right up to-"_

 _"Relax. It's in a field, not the Death Star. Dick's at a TED Conference. It's all over The Huffington Post," Dean said._

 _"Wait, wait, wait. Since when do you read?" Sam asked._

 _He rolled his eyes, "Know your enemy, Sam. What's going on with the girl? How's Ben?"_

 _"I don't think she even knows her Dad's in the life. So far, I got three missing truckers and one blood-free body," Sam said. "And Ben's right here. You wanna talk to him?"_

 _"Yeah, put him on," Dean said._

 _"Hi Dad," Ben said._

 _He smiled, "Hey buddy, how's hunting with your Uncle? You two having fun?"_

 _"I guess so," Ben said. "He won't let me have any coffee, and I didn't get to go into the morgue."_

 _"I'll let you go in the morgue on the next hunt," he said._

 _"When are you coming back?" Ben asked._

 _"I'm gonna check out these coordinates, and then we'll see," Dean said. "You and Uncle Sam will probably be done with that hunt before I'm done here anyway, so you'll probably come here next."_

 _Ben groaned, "I don't like Frank."_

 _"Neither does your brother, but he's helpin' us figure out these numbers, so even though he's crazy, he's trying to help," he said._

 _"Dad…"_

 _"Yeah buddy?"_

 _"I miss Bobby," Ben whispered._

 _"I miss him too," Dean said. Alec wrapped his arms around him and hid against his neck. "We'll see each other again soon, ok buddy?"_

 _"Ok," Ben said._

 _"Call me if you need anything, ok?" Dean said._

 _"Ok," Ben said before he hung up._

 _He sighed as Frank came back from the trailer with what looked like a uniform. This was going to be more work than he thought._

* * *

 _He paced the motel room since Uncle Sam wouldn't let him go with him to the diner. He wanted his family to be all together again, and he wanted Uncle Sam to hurry up and get back. He didn't like not knowing what was going on. And it had been a while, so he was worried that something was wrong._

 _He wished Alec was here. His brother wouldn't be willing to wait around. He'd go out and figure out what was going on for himself. At least, he would have if he was here and if he was feeling like himself. Alec hardly said a word to him since Bobby had died. He wished he knew how to help his brother, but he didn't know what Alec needed._

 _He thought about going to the diner that Uncle Sam was going to go to, but he knew Uncle Sam would get mad it he saw him there. He just wanted to make sure Uncle Sam was ok. He wished Dad would have come with them. Dad would be backing Uncle Sam up, and then he wouldn't have to worry so much. Maybe he should call Dad._

 _He decided he should at least call Dad and see what he should do, but it seemed like the phone rang forever. He was just about to give up when someone answered. "Uncle Sam?" Alec asked, sounding sleepy._

 _"Alec? Where's Dad?" Ben asked._

 _"Where's Uncle Sam?" Alec shot back, sounding more awake now._

 _"I wanna talk to Dad," Ben said._

 _"Dad's sleeping," Alec said._

 _"I need to talk to him," Ben said._

 _"About what?" Alec asked._

 _"Uncle Sam went to go check out this diner and he's not back yet," Ben said._

 _"So, go find him," Alec said._

 _"Alec," he said with a sigh._

 _He imagined Alec was rolling his eyes right about now. "You're right. That's a terrible idea. You should just wait in the room and Uncle Sam will come back soon," Alec said._

 _"You're just saying that," Ben muttered._

 _"Dad's sleeping…I don't wanna wake him up 'cause he hasn't been sleeping much," Alec said, giving him a better answer why he couldn't talk to Dad right now._

 _"Did you guys find anything at the coordinates?" Ben asked._

 _"I don't know…Dad let me stay in the car, so I did," Alec said. His brother was quiet for a few seconds, but then he heard him sniffle._

 _"Alec?" he asked softly._

 _"I can wake Dad up," Alec said. "It's been a long time and Frank's creeping me out anyway…"_

 _"I'll call again in a little bit," Ben said. "You should let Dad sleep."_

 _"I'll tell him to call you once he wakes up," Alec said._

 _"Ok, if Uncle Sam's not back soon, I'll call before Dad wakes up," Ben said._

 _"I'm gonna try to bug Frank," Alec said._

 _He smiled since Alec was trying to act like himself again even though he didn't exactly sound like himself yet. "Try not to get yourself shot," Ben said._

 _"It's like you don't even know me," Alec said, and this time he did sound like himself._

 _"Don't antagonize Frank," Ben said._

 _"Don't wait too long to call back," Alec said seriously._

 _"I won't," he said. He let Alec hang up first, and then he started pacing again._

* * *

 _He woke up, but he still felt tired. He hated being around Frank, he hated going to that stupid field and doing what Frank said, and he hated that Alec hadn't even wanted to get out of the car. In what world did Alec refuse to get out of the car? He couldn't get Alec to stay in the car to save his life most of the time, but now he didn't want to do anything._

 _Alec was curled up in his lap right now, sleeping against his chest. The worst part was that Alec would've really liked hanging out in the cherry picker. He would've pressed all the buttons, making them go up and down until he would practically throw up, and then he'd laugh like a crazy person, finding his upset stomach hilarious._

 _He ran his hand through Alec's hair and kissed the top of his head. "How long was I out?" he asked after a moment, looking up at Frank who was staring at four computer screens, all different angles of the field._

 _"'Bout 36 hours," Frank said._

 _"What? Why didn't you wake me?" he grumbled. He shook Alec's shoulder, and his little boy slowly started to wake up._

 _"Not your butler," Frank said. "Come see this."_

 _"What?" he asked._

 _"This is where it gets good," Frank said. Frank zoomed in on one of the cameras where a car was parked, and two people were kissing. He quickly covered Alec's eyes, and his little boy immediately tried to pull his hand away to see what was going on._

 _"Frank, you need to get out more," he muttered._

 _"Not that," Frank said, moving the focus to another woman who was walking across the field. She was carrying something that looked like folders, and maybe a walkie-talkie. "Check out Sarah Palin," Frank said._

 _"Who is she?" Alec asked._

 _"Sarah Palin is from-"_

 _"Not Sarah Palin, Frank," he said with a sigh. "The lady on the camera."_

 _"Amanda Willer," Frank said. Frank hit another button and pulled up her driver's license and a security pass for Richard Roman Enterprises. "Surprise, surprise…works for Richard Roman," Frank said._

 _Three guys in uniforms walked towards Amanda, so he asked, "What was she doing?"_

 _"Being a naughty, bossy little girl," Frank said._

 _"Dude, non-porno version," He said with a scowl. "Little ears."_

 _"My ears aren't little," Alec said._

 _"Yeah, they are," Dean said, covering Alec's ears with both of his hands. Alec pulled his hands away but leaned back against his chest and smiled at him just a little bit. He ran his hand through Alec's hair and smiled back._

 _"They're surveying," Frank said. "They're getting ready to build something."_

 _"What?" Alec asked._

 _"Exactly," Frank said._

 _Alec rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath, "Unhelpful weirdo."_

 _"No idea," Frank said._

 _"Well, how do we find out?" Dean asked. The guys on the camera were spreading out in the field, getting ready to do whatever it was that they were doing._

 _"We watch," Frank said. "Patience, grasshopper."_

 _Alec groaned dramatically, "I'm bored."_

 _"Yeah, patience ain't really our thing," he said._

 _"Well, then go out and kill something or whatever you kids do to blow off steam," Frank said. "What, you don't like my suggestion?"_

 _"I don't think you're in a position to be giving suggestions, alright? I think you're one tinfoil hat away from a rubber room," Dean said._

 _"I think he's already there," Alec muttered._

 _"Did I mention you look awful," Frank said._

 _He avoided mentioning Bobby since Alec was with him, but seriously, Frank was an idiot and he was tired of him. "This is like shoving a rock up a hill. So screw you."_

 _"Here's my advice you didn't ask for," Frank said. "Quit."_

 _"What?!" he asked. He didn't do normal and neither did Alec. The last time they had tried to be normal…He couldn't even think about it. There was no quitting for them._

 _"You want to keep going?" Frank asked._

 _"I want Dick Roman on a spit," he said._

 _"But you're gonna drive yourself into the ground first. Good plan," Frank said._

 _"I'm not gonna quit. It's not even an option," Dean said. He felt Alec relax slightly against him again, so he knew his kid had been afraid that he was thinking about it._

 _"Ok then, fine. Do what I did," Frank said._

 _"Go nuts?" Alec asked._

 _"No, cupcake," Frank said. He pulled Alec closer since his kid had a low growl going, and even though he didn't like Frank, he didn't want Alec attacking the guy. "What I did when I was 26 and came home to find my wife and two kids gutted on the floor. Decide to be fine till the end of the week. Make yourself smile because you're alive and that's your job. Then do it again the next week."_

 _"So fake it?" he asked. This was so not good advice around Alec, but he thought maybe he could pretend to be ok. He needed to be ok for his boys._

 _"I call it being professional," Frank said. "Do it right, with a smile, or don't do it."_

 _His phone suddenly buzzed, so he got it out of his pocket and saw he had a voicemail. "Dean, hey," Sam said on the message. "So I think this guy was hunting a Vetala. Um, Dad took one down back in the day."_

 _"No, no, no. Sam, that's not right," he muttered._

 _"What's the guff?" Frank asked._

 _"Says they're maladjusted loner types…like to knock a guy out, drag him home," Sam continued on the message._

 _He looked down and saw that he had another call coming in from Ben's number. "Ben?"_

 _"No. Who's this?" A girl asked on the other end._

 _"That's my Dad. I already told you this," Ben said in the background._

 _"Who's this?" he growled. And why wasn't Ben the one calling him?_

 _"Give me my phone back," Ben said._

 _"You broke into my apartment, remember?" the girl asked Ben._

 _"You wouldn't answer the door," Ben growled back. There was what sounded like a struggled, and then Ben said, "Dad, Uncle Sam's in trouble."_

 _"Alright. Stay there, we're on our way," Dean said._

* * *

 _"You got your ass kicked by a girl," Alec teased once he and Dad had finally gotten to Ben. He'd immediately hugged his brother, but then he had to tease him because that was just too girly of a moment, even if he had been concerned about his brother._

 _"Dad said we shouldn't fight unless we had to," Ben said._

 _"You let her take your phone," he said. "Pretty sloppy if you ask me."_

 _"I didn't ask you," Ben pointed out._

 _"Who's the chick?" he asked._

 _"Her name's Krissy," Ben said._

 _"Did Sam tell you where he was going?" Krissy asked them, walking over to them as Dad looked around the little apartment._

 _"He was at a diner, but he wouldn't tell me where," Ben said._

 _"What all did he do while he was here?" Dad asked Ben._

 _"He checked my Dad's room," Krissy said before Ben couldn't answer. Ben glared at her, and he smirked since Ben cracked him up sometimes._

 _"There?" Dad asked, pointing to another room. Krissy nodded, so they all walked to the other room. Dad kind of looked around the room, but then he looked at them and nodded for them to do something. He frowned since he wasn't sure what Dad wanted. Dad looked at them, and then at Krissy, and then at them again._

 _"No thanks," he said, finally figuring out that Dad wanted them to distract Krissy. "I wanna know what's going on too."_

 _"You wanted them to try to distract me?" Krissy asked. "I only want to know what happened to my Dad."_

 _"Look, I really don't have time to hold your hand here, so…" Dad said, trailing off._

 _"What are you saying?" Krissy asked._

 _"I'm saying go wait in the living room," Dad said. "Your Dad may not want you to know every single thing about him." Krissy just leaned against the doorway and refused to move. Dad rolled his eyes and opened the closet to look inside. "Where is it?" Dad asked._

 _"You mean everything about the job my Dad was working?" Krissy asked._

 _"I thought you didn't know," Dad said._

 _"Sam seemed competent, so I figured fine…I'll do what my Dad always tells me to," Krissy said. "'Be a regular kid, don't say anything, stay out of the line of fire. Let the adults work it out.' So much for that."_

 _"Hey, we're professionals," Alec stated._

 _"You're what? 9?" Krissy asked him._

 _"I'll have you know that I'm 11 now," he said._

 _"Alright," Dad said to break it up. "Hand it over. Ok? I've had a long, long week."_

 _Krissy pulled a gun suddenly, and he and Ben blurred at the same time to try to get it away from her, but unfortunately, they didn't realize that they both had the same idea, so they ran into each other and fell back on their butts. "Great, now we look incompetent," he grumbled._

 _"What did I say about putting yourselves in danger?" Dad asked._

 _"She's pointing a gun at you," Ben said. "That's not ok."_

 _"Look, we're just trying to get Sam and your Dad back," Dad said to Krissy as he and Ben helped each other up._

 _"My Dad left, and he didn't come back," Krissy said. "Sam left, and he didn't come back. I give you the info, you leave, you don't come back."_

 _"I'm coming back," Dad said._

 _"I'm coming with you," Krissy stated._

 _"Y'know, this is some good info for later," he whispered to Ben. "For when Dad says we can't go on a hunt with him."_

 _"You want to point a gun at Dad?!" Ben asked, acting like that was the worst thing he had ever said, which, for the record, wasn't anywhere close to the worst thing he'd ever said._

 _"No. Hell, no," Dad said. "I already have two kids that I watch out for, I'm not adding you to the list."_

 _"You're letting those two go with you?!" Krissy asked incredulously._

 _"They're my kids," Dad said._

 _"And we're actually experienced in hunting," Alec said._

 _"I'm coming! Or you're not going," Krissy said. Dad moved before he could and easily grabbed the gun out of Krissy's hand. "Ow!"_

 _"Now hand it over," Dad said._

 _"I can't. I burned it," Krissy said._

 _"Smart," he whispered to Ben._

 _"You what?" Dad asked._

 _"But lucky for you, I memorized it all first," Krissy said._

 _"She's good," he said. "I'll let it go that she kicked your ass."_

 _"She didn't kick my ass," Ben argued._

 _Dad ran his hand down his face, but then said, "Alright. Let's go, we're wasting daylight."_

 _"Shotgun!" he yelled._

 _"No. You two get the backseat," Dad said._

 _"What?" he and Ben whined at the same time._

 _"Car. Now," Dad said._

 _He and Ben reluctantly sat in the backseat like Dad had said. He felt the dark hopelessness start to creep in again, but he tried to ignore it. He didn't like Frank, but he kind of liked the idea of pretending everything was ok. Maybe Dad would stop asking him if he was ok if he pretended that he was fine. But when no one was talking, it was harder to pretend. Bobby was dead. And he wasn't coming back. He kept forgetting that he was gone, but as soon as he remembered, he felt completely hopeless again._

 _He jumped when Ben put his hand on his shoulder, but then he smiled a little to try to prove that he was ok again. But Ben was still looking at him with concern, so he knew he wasn't doing a very good job. He sighed and decided that he would just have to try harder to convince Ben._

 _"Hey, I have a question," Krissy said to break the silence. He didn't really like this girl, but at least she broke the silence. Riding without even music really sucked._

 _"Alright, here's the deal," Dad said. "I'm a fun guy. I'm actually awesome, you can ask the boys."_

 _"Dad's awesome," he and Ben said at the same time._

 _"That creepy twin thing needs to stop," Krissy said, looking back at them._

 _"Look, right now, I'm not in the mood," Dad said. "I'm neck deep in some serious crap, and if this wasn't an emergency, I would drop your ass off at the nearest mall."_

 _"What serious crap?" Krissy asked._

 _"None of your business," he growled._

 _"Revenge crap, alright," Dad said since Krissy was still looking at him expectantly. "Now shut up. Eat a cookie or something."_

 _"We have cookies?" he whispered to Ben._

 _"I don't think so…" Ben said, looking around the backseat. He was pretty sure Uncle Sam had cleaned out all of the cookies._

 _"One thing doesn't make sense though," Krissy said. "My Dad's a pretty great hunter, and your brother's the size of a car, so…So how'd this thing get 'em both?"_

 _"Vetalas usually hunt in pairs. Sam and your Dad both assumed it was one thing hunting solo," Dad said._

 _"Why'd they think that?" Krissy asked._

 _"Because they had the wrong info. Or, best available," Dad said. "Our Dad took down a loner years ago. Sam has his journal. Your Dad must've been going on the same facts."_

 _"How come you know there are two if John's journal says there's only one?" Ben asked curiously._

 _"I hunted one that turned out to be two a couple years back," Dad said._

 _"Where was I?" he asked. "If I was just a couple years, then I would've been around and so would Uncle Sam."_

 _"Before you, kiddo," Dad said. "I should've said it was more than a couple since it was before me and Uncle Sammy were hunting again."_

 _"Oh," he said, but then asked, "Then where was John? Didn't you hunt with John before you hunted with Uncle Sam again?"_

 _"Well, I went on some hunts by myself back then," Dad said._

 _"And you never told Sam?" Krissy demanded. "Wow, thanks. How 'bout sharing that with the rest of the class so we don't all get killed."_

 _"Where was Uncle Sam?" Ben asked, not knowing that Uncle Sam had gone to college like he did._

 _"Uncle Sam was at Stanford," Dad said._

 _"Sam went to college?" Krissy asked, surprised. "But he's a hunter, and so are you and your creepy twins."_

 _"We're not creepy," he and Ben said at the same time again. They should probably quit doing that for a while, but it wasn't like he planned on saying the same thing as Ben. He just couldn't help it._

 _"Sam quit, went to college," Dad said. "You could too, y'know…go to college. You don't have to be a hunter. Or you could do both."_

 _"Why aren't you running this spiel for those two?" Krissy asked, pointing at him and Ben._

 _"They already know they have choices," Dad said. "They want to hunt, but Sam's homeschooling them at the same time." Dad parked in front of a diner, and for a second he thought it was awesome since he was hungry, but then he realized this must be the place where Uncle Sam had disappeared. "You ever actually work with your Dad?" Dad asked Krissy._

 _"Sure. 'Course," Krissy said. He rolled his eyes; she was a bad liar. She'd never been on a hunt before._

 _"No, I mean work, not shoot cans in the woods," Dad said, also knowing that she was lying._

 _"I mean, I help all the time," Krissy said._

 _"So, no," Dad stated. "Well, right about now, your stomach should be pretty knotted up."_

 _"Not really," Krissy said._

 _He huffed in disbelief, "Everyone's nervous on their first_ real _hunt."_

 _"So you were scared on your first hunt?" Krissy teased._

 _"At least I've been on a hunt!" he shot back._

 _"Hey, tone it down a bit, kiddo," Dad said, reaching back to ruffle his hair. Dad turned back around and shrugged at Krissy, "I hate to break it to you, but it's all over your face. You're scared."_

 _"Quit treating me like I'm some girl," Krissy said._

 _"But you_ are _a girl," Ben pointed out. He held up his fist for Ben, who immediately gave him a fist-bump with a big smile._

 _"I've been prepping for this my entire life," Krissy said, acting like Ben hadn't said anything._

 _"Training's one thing. Doing…whole 'nother beast," Dad said._

 _"Wow. You really scared me straight. Thanks, Dean," Krissy replied sarcastically._

 _"There's a waitress getting into that truck over there," Ben whispered to him._

 _"Dad, Ben says there's a waitress getting into a truck," Alec said._

 _"That's not really somethin' you boys need to know about yet," Dad said._

 _"She's getting in the_ front _of the truck, not the back, Dean," Krissy said with an exaggerated sigh._

 _"Ok…that might be something," Dad admitted._

 _Dad followed the truck, staying far enough back that it wasn't obvious that they were following it. No one really said anything though, and that was going to start being a problem soon. He didn't want to think about things. He just wanted to focus on the hunt._

 _But it wasn't really working. He couldn't pretend that everything was fine if no one was talking. Luckily, Dad turned on the music, so at least that helped a little, but it still wasn't enough. Bobby was really gone, and he wasn't coming back. If he was coming back, like Dad and Uncle Sam had, then he would've been back already. The Leviathans got him, and now Dad wanted to kill all of them, which meant he could lose his Dad. He couldn't lose Bobby, or Uncle Sam, or Dad, or Ben. Why did monsters have to be such assholes?_

 _The truck finally parked, and the waitress walked into the building that she had parked next to. Dad parked too, but he parked out of the way, so she wouldn't see them._

 _Dad held up his fist for Krissy to fist-bump once he was parked, but she just looked at him. "What century is this?" Krissy asked. "No one fist-bumps anymore."_

 _"Yes they do!" Ben said at the same time that he said, "Fist-bumps are cool!"_

 _"C'mon. Give it up," Dad said, wiggling his fist. "Good work."_

 _"You're a dweeb," Krissy said, shaking her head. Dad shook his fist again, until she finally sighed and put up her hand. He laughed when Dad suddenly slapped handcuffs onto her wrist. "What the hell?" Krissy exclaimed._

 _"I got an idea," Dad said. Dad cuffed the other end to the steering wheel, which just made him laugh more. "How 'bout you stay here?"_

 _"Oh, you jackass," Krissy growled._

 _"Yeah, well, I'm the jackass who ain't bringing a kid in there, period," Dad said._

 _"Except for us, right Dad?" Alec asked._

 _Dad hesitated for a second, but then said, "Yeah, alright, you two can come."_

 _"You're gonna bring them?! I'm older than them!" Krissy said._

 _"Just by a couple years!" he argued._

 _"And we've actually been on a hunt before," Ben added on._

 _"I can do everything you can do," Krissy stated._

 _"I highly doubt that," he said with a smirk. He bet she couldn't blur like he could._

 _"Alec, tone it down again, kiddo," Dad said before he reassured Krissy, "We'll bring them back. Trust me."_

 _"Please, they're probably dead," Krissy said._

 _"Don't say that!" Ben yelled. He had to pull his brother away so he couldn't do something, like pull Krissy's hair or something._

 _"You don't know that," Dad said, reaching over the bench seat to also hold Ben back._

 _Krissy obviously didn't realize the danger she was in because she just didn't know when to stop. "It's been days. Probably just a pile of meat," Krissy said. "I've seen it. People die, Dean. I watched my Mom get torn to shreds. Let me go in there and kill them."_

 _"No. Sorry," Dad said._

 _"You're such a hypocrite. How come they get to do it and I don't?" Krissy asked, looking back at them._

 _"Because they know what they're doing," Dad said. Dad thought for a moment, and then held out his hand, "Give it to me."_

 _"What?" Krissy asked._

 _"Don't play dumb," he said._

 _"Your lock pick," Dad said before Krissy could say anything to him. "I will frisk you." Krissy finally passed it over, so Dad said, "Thank you," and then got out of the car. He and Ben quickly followed, grabbing their gear from the trunk before the three of them walked up to the building. "You two need to do exactly what I say," Dad said as he picked the lock to the door._

 _"Ok," he and Ben replied at the same time._

 _They stayed behind Dad as the three of them snuck into the main part of the building. He felt panic squeeze his chest when he saw his Uncle unconscious and tied to a chair. He couldn't lose anyone else. Uncle Sam had to be ok._

 _"Good thing we picked up a new one," one of the monster girls said, standing over one of their victims. "This one's about tapped out. You want to finish him together?"_

 _"Sure. Love to," the other girl said._

 _Dad didn't wait, he just grabbed a metal bar and ran in, hitting one of the monsters, who fell to the ground. He and Ben rushed in when the other monster came at Dad. Ben got there first and swung his knife at the girl, but she jumped out of the way, and then kicked at Ben. His brother dodged back, so he ran in and tried his own hand at taking out the monster._

 _"Dad, hold on," Krissy suddenly said, running into the room._

 _He automatically looked over at Krissy, which gave the monster the chance to hit him hard, knocking him into the wall that was a few feet away._

 _"No!" the guy who was tied up next to Uncle Sam yelled when the monster that Dad had knocked down grabbed Krissy. The monster held Krissy in front of her, but then he saw that Dad had the other monster held hostage. He must have gotten there right when the monster had knocked him off his feet._

 _"Let her go…or Little Miss Sunshine here gets it," the monster holding Krissy snarled, showing her fangs._

 _Dad reluctantly let his monster go, and she ran over to stand where Krissy was being held behind Uncle Sam and Krissy's Dad._

 _"What were you thinking, bringing her here," Krissy's Dad asked._

 _Dad walked a little closer to the monsters with his knife while Ben walked over to him and helped him up. "Now drop the knife!" the monster yelled at Dad._

 _Dad slowly put his knife on the floor and said, "She's just a child. Let her go."_

 _"Yeah, I don't think we'll be letting anyone go," the monster said._

 _"Daddy…" Krissy said, sounding scared. He kind of wanted to hit her, especially since she ruined everything. But Dad wasn't going to let him hit her if they made it out of this._

 _"It's ok, baby," Krissy's Dad said. "Everything's gonna be fine."_

 _"Alright. Enough with the family bonding. It's time for you to shut up," the other monster said, biting Krissy's Dad._

 _He and Ben started to run forward, but Dad held his hand out to tell them to stop. He and Ben both stopped since they had agreed to listen, and Dad might have a plan to get them out of this. "Daddy, no!" Krissy yelled. "Dean!"_

 _"He can't help you," the monster holding Krissy said. "No one can."_

 _Krissy spun around suddenly and stabbed the monster, "I guess I'll have to help myself then."_

 _He and Ben blurred over to the other monster and stabbed her at the same time, killing her. Dad was there a second later, pulling them away from the monster to check them over. "You ok, kiddo?" Dad asked. He nodded and looked over to Uncle Sam, who was untied now. "You two stay here," Dad said._

 _Ben grabbed his hand, and he didn't shake him off even though they were way too old for that kind of thing, unless it was Dad or Uncle Sam, and then only in extreme circumstances. But he realized that he felt a tiny bit better standing there with Ben._

 _Dad walked back over after he made sure Uncle Sam was ok, and then told them they were heading to the hospital for Krissy's Dad. He decided he would avoid her since he would definitely get in trouble for hitting her. He would just stay with his family and try to ignore her as much as possible while he tried not to think about other things._

* * *

 _He held Alec and Ben's hands as they walked into the hospital. He wanted to just carry them, but he knew holding their hands was pushing it. They claimed they were getting too old for that kind of thing, but he could still get away with it sometimes. Sam walked ahead of them to find out where to go, and then they were at the room a few minutes later._

 _Lee, Krissy's Dad, was laying in the hospital bed, but he looked ok, all thing's considered. "Yeah, I was hoping you'd stop by. I wanted to thank you," Lee said when he saw them._

 _"It's no problem," Sam said._

 _"No, you save my life. Krissy's too," Lee said._

 _"She messed things up," Alec mumbled under his breath. He squeezed Alec's hand as a warning._

 _"Don't thank us," he said. "Quit. Your daughter's 14 years old. She's already a hunter with a kill under her belt. I'm not trying to be a dick, and I know I'm a hypocrite because my boys are hunting, but what do you think that does to her life span? She could still be a regular kid." His boys never had a chance at normal, but they still had that choice if they wanted it._

 _"You know, I got into this for a reason," Lee said._

 _"I know," he said. "Your family. That's the same reason you should get out now."_

 _"I can't. You ever know anyone who left the life?" Lee asked._

 _"No. They all get killed first," he stated, thinking of Bobby. Alec barely squeaked beside him, so he gently squeezed his hand this time, silently apologizing for bring up Bobby._

 _"Well, uh…we should probably let you get some rest," Sam said when Lee didn't say anything._

 _He picked Alec up since his little hand was shaking now, and his boy immediately hid against his neck. Ben grabbed his shirt, and he wished he could pick Ben up too. Sam must have known since he picked Ben up, and then they said goodbye to Lee._

 _They were leaving the hospital when Krissy caught up to them. "Dean!" she yelled, getting him to stop. "Thanks for saying bye, asshat."_

 _Sam kept walking over to the car, but he stuck around to talk to Krissy even though he knew Alec didn't like her. "Oh, what? Now you're sentimental?" he teased._

 _"No. Just wanted to tell you that you're kind of amusing for an old man," Krissy said._

 _"How'd you get out of the cuffs, anyway?" he asked. It was still bothering him since he'd taken her lock pick and he knew there wasn't anything else in the Impala that she could've used._

 _"Girl's got to have her secrets," Krissy said._

 _"Bobby pin," he said. Alec's breath hitched, so he put his hand against his back. "You know, you could've gotten yourself killed."_

 _"I saved your bacon," Krissy said._

 _"My point stands. But yes," he said, even though he and his boys had it under control before she broke into the place. But he was going to be nice and try to get her to agree to quit._

 _"So…Guess I'm retiring. One and done," she said. That was easy._

 _"Really?" he asked, thinking that she might just be saying it to make him happy._

 _"Who knows? Maybe I'll go to Stanford like Sam," she said. Krissy held her hand out suddenly for a fist-bump, which made him smile and bump it. "We're so lame," Krissy said with a laugh._

 _"Yeah, we are," he agreed. "Take care of yourself." She nodded, and then went back into the hospital. "You ok, kiddo?" he asked softly, rubbing Alec's back._

 _"I miss Bobby," Alec whispered._

 _"I miss him too," he said._

 _Alec's tears hit his shirt as he cried. He just held Alec since he didn't know what else he could do. Bobby was gone._

* * *

Present

He was holding Alec again like he usually was, and Alec was asleep, thankfully, but he was wearing the oxygen mask full time now to help him breathe and he could barely move since he was in so much pain. But baths seemed to help him relax and massages, with witch goop, as he'd started calling it, had become a nightly routine to try to get his muscles to relax. He was terrified that Alec was just going to slip away while he was asleep, or in another room, so he, Ben, and Sam were on constant watch to make sure Alec kept breathing.

"Hey," Sam whispered, bringing a cup of coffee over to him.

"Hey," Dean replied. He shifted Alec slightly, so he could take the mug, and gratefully took a sip. Ben was getting his two hours of sleep on the sofa behind them, but he'd probably wake up once he smelled the coffee. It looked like Sam had brought a mug for Ben too.

"How'd he do last night?" Sam asked.

"One seizure," Dean said. "His breathing was way too shallow for a while after that, but he fell asleep again when I started rubbing his back."

"You ready to switch?" Sam asked.

"Not yet," Dean mumbled, watching the oxygen mask fog up with his boy's breathing.

"Dean…"

"I can't get ahold of that guy, Ketch hasn't been able to track him down, or if he has, then he's screwing us over again, I can't get his seizures to stop…I can't do anything," Dean said. "He's gonna die because I can't do anything."

"Dean, I've got an idea," Sam said.

"What?"

"Right now, he just needs the extra oxygen, right?" Sam asked.

"I've been keeping him on fluids too, but that's just because he's unconscious enough to go either way," Dean said.

"Ok, but all that he _really_ needs is the oxygen, right?" Sam clarified.

"Yeah," Dean said.

"Ok, so, we grab the portable oxygen tanks, pack into the Impala, and head out to Seattle," Sam said. "It'll suck, and it'll be painful, but we're out of options. I know you're not willing to lose him, and neither am I. We get to Seattle, we track this guy down, and force him to give up one of the scientists. We find the cure, or at least some kind of solution for now. He needs a break from the seizures, or we're gonna lose him."

"I don't think he can survive the trip," Dean said. "He's so tired already…this is just going to make things worse."

"Dean…we don't have a choice," Sam said. "We can't leave him here with just Ben. I can't leave him, and I know you can't leave him. Our only choice is to take him with us. Otherwise, we're just going to be there for him as he dies. And we already know, it's going to be slow and painful, and he's in too much pain already."

He thought about it for a few minutes, just watching as his little boy struggled for each breath. He couldn't lose Alec. He didn't want to just sit around and watch his son die, but he didn't want to speed up his death either. He only had so much time left with his son unless they found some miracle to save him. The only way they would find a miracle would be to leave the bunker, and Sam was right, he wasn't leaving Alec. And he definitely wasn't going to put watching over Alec on Ben. If he and Sam left and Alec died while Ben was taking care of him, not only would he not get to say goodbye to his son, but Ben would blame himself for the rest of his life, which probably wouldn't be a very long life after Alec died. He would lose both of his sons if Alec died.

"Ok," he whispered. "Can you pack some stuff up?"

"Dean, it's the only way," Sam said.

"I know," Dean said. "I know. And we have to try. If we wake Ben up, then he can help pack."

"Let him sleep," Sam said. "He needs it and I can put his stuff in the same bag as Alec's."

"You're gonna piss 'em off," Dean taunted.

"I'm ok with it," Sam said as he walked back out of the room.

"Guess all these blankets and pillows are goin' with us too…" Dean muttered to himself. He always felt like he was burning up now since he was almost always holding Alec, and Alec, who already ran warmer than normal human kids, and actually typically felt warmer than Ben too, had a fever from all the stress on his body. But, with the fever, Alec felt like he was cold all the time, so they gave him whatever blankets he wanted. He usually had a few blankets after a seizure anyway, but after all the seizures he'd had it was like he couldn't regulate his temperature. He was always cold, even with a pile of blankets already on him. The only time he felt warm was when someone was holding him.

"Dad?" Ben asked sleepily.

"Hey buddy, Uncle Sam left some coffee for you," Dean said.

"You told me coffee would stunt my growth," Ben mumbled, reaching for the mug anyway and taking a sip.

"It's not like you listen to me anyway," Dean pointed out.

"What's with the wake-up call?" Ben asked, completely ignoring him. "And how's Alec?"

"Alec slept the rest of the night after that one seizure. No other seizures," Dean said, choosing to ignore Ben's other question since he wasn't ready yet to break the news.

"And the coffee?" Ben asked. "Usually I have to make my own coffee because you and Uncle Sam have decided I drink too much of it and it'll somehow stunt my growth. But I've been drinking coffee for a while now, and I'm still as tall as Alec and he doesn't drink coffee."

"We're loading up and heading to Seattle," Dean said.

"What? Why? Alec can't ride in the car that far," Ben said as fast as he could. "Unless you think he doesn't have much time left. This is our last chance to save him, isn't it? If we don't go, he dies, but if we do go, he could die on the way. It could be too much for him. Plus, he needs the oxygen. It's getting harder and harder for him to breathe. Maybe we need to go back to the Infirmary and put him on the machines. I don't like it, but if it keeps him alive-"

"Ben, take a breath," Dean said. "We have to try to find this guy, but I can't leave Alec. We'll set up in some room and force this guy to tell us what he knows."

"What if it's a dead end?" Ben asked. "What if he doesn't know anything?"

"Manticore is in Gillette, Wyoming, right?" Dean asked. Ben flinched when he said that but nodded. "Ok, so, Seattle and Gillette aren't too far away, and even if the angels wiped out Manticore, there's gotta be something I can find. If none of that works, we'll start hitting up faith healers. Sam found one once who saved me, and even though I didn't want to be saved that way, I'm not losing Alec. If we find one who's legit, then that's where we're going."

"Dad…"

"I know buddy, I know," Dean said. "I know he's slipping away, and I know moving him across the country could just make it so we lose him faster, but we can't just sit here and watch him die."

Ben nodded, and then said, "Alright…but we should try to wake him up to tell him what's going on."

"How 'bout you go help your Uncle," Dean suggested. "He was just going to throw some of yours and Alec's things into the same bag…"

Ben scowled, very obviously unhappy with that idea. "We have different bags for a reason," Ben grumbled as he grabbed his mug and stood up. "I already have to watch Alec to make sure he doesn't steal my stuff and now _Uncle Sam_ thinks it's a good idea to just put our stuff together?! What is he thinking?" Ben mumbled as he left the room.

He rubbed Alec's chest and gently tapped his cheek once it was just the two of them. "C'mon kiddo, we've got a game plan, so I gotta fill you in." Alec didn't respond or even start to wake up, but he'd been expecting that. It was getting more and more difficult each time they had to wake him up, which was just another sign of how bad things were getting. "Alec, c'mon, wake up for just a few seconds, and then I'll let you sleep again."

It took at least 10 minutes to get Alec to wake up, and he was surprised that Ben and Sam hadn't come back yet. "Hey kiddo," Dean whispered, holding Alec closer. "Can you hear me?" Alec slowly nodded, so at least he was still functioning enough to understand him. "We're going to Seattle, all of us. It's gonna be hard on you, I know that, but I can't leave you here and I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"I-I'm d-dying…aren't I?" Alec breathed.

Tears spilled down his cheeks, but he forced himself to nod, "Yes Alec. But that's why we're moving now. We don't have any other choice."

"I-I'm s-sorry Dad," Alec whispered. "I'm tr-trying…"

"I know baby, I know," Dean quickly reassured. "You're doing everything you can and I'm so proud of you. And you have nothing to be sorry for. I love you so much Alec." Tears started falling down Alec's cheeks too, but he gently wiped them away and whispered, "I'm not giving up and neither should you. I know it would be easier on you to let go, but please don't leave me, ok Alec? I know it hurts, but just give me a little more time to try to find something."

"I l-love you D-dad," Alec said.

He gave Alec a shaky smile, "I'll never get tired of hearing that."

"I-I d-don't w-wanna die," Alec admitted.

"I'm gonna do everything I can to prevent that," Dean said, trying to hold back his tears again. "We're gonna go to Seattle, find this guy, and force him to tell us what he knows. If that doesn't work, then we're going to Gillette next. If I can't find anything there, then we'll go down the list of faith healers, witches, or I guess more witches, voodoo crap…I'm not letting you go without a fight. I should've started looking sooner, but I thought it'd be better to let you recover first. I should've started looking as soon as we got back…"

"D-dad…it's o-ok," Alec whispered. "I th-thought I w-was g-gonna g-get better t-too…"

"Well, this trip is gonna suck, but we can make stops and we'll go slow," Dean said. "It won't be fun, but we'll try to make it as painless as possible."

"W-we're all g-going, r-right?" Alec asked to make sure.

"Yeah, we're all going," Dean said.

"D-don't l-leave B-ben alone w-with me," Alec breathed. "H-he w-wouldn't be able t-to h-handle it if I d-died…"

"Alec, don't worry about anything, ok?" Dean soothed. "I'm gonna take care of everything and I'm gonna stay with you as much as I can, ok?"

"Ok," Alec said.

He held Alec and gently rubbed his chest. He kissed the side of Alec's head, and then whispered, "I was terrified when you showed up in that room. Suddenly I was responsible for someone other than myself, and I was so scared I was gonna screw up. But even when you pissed me off, you were still my little boy. You're still my little boy, Alec. I've always tried to protect you, but you always tried to sneak behind my back to do whatever you wanted."

Alec smiled a little, but he was too tired to defend himself.

"But you made me a Dad," Dean said. "Y'know, I wanted you to start calling me Dad weeks before you actually did. I used to make sure we were in public at least once a day, just so you'd have to call me Dad." Alec snuggled against his side but was too tired to do anything else. "I love you so much Alec."

Alec smiled a little bit, so he held him closer and just let him rest until everyone was ready to go.

"Alec, you're awake," Ben said in surprise when he walked back into the rec room. He had a big smile on his face since they rarely saw Alec awake anymore. "I missed you," Ben let slip as he sat next to them on the mattress.

"M-missed you t-too," Alec said, even though he would have normally teased Ben.

"Did Dad tell you we're going to Seattle?" Ben asked.

"Yeah," Alec breathed.

"It'll be fun," Ben said. "Just like old times. You can lean on me to sleep, and then pretend like you weren't sleeping on me when you wake up." Alec quickly blinked away tears, so Ben changed the subject. "You wanna drive by the Space Needle? We could convince Dad to drive by it while we're there even though he hates traffic."

"Y-yeah…" Alec said with a small smile. Alec frowned though, and then said, "I-I had a dr-dream…"

"A good dream?" Ben asked, grabbing Alec's hand and holding on as tightly as he could.

"I d-don't know…it w-was w-w-weird…" Alec said. His little boy had to close his eyes against the pain for a few seconds, but then he forced his eyes open again. "N-no r-road trip…n-not yet."

"Alec, we can't wait much longer," Dean said, running his hand through Alec's short hair.

"W-w-we sh-should tr-try-" Alec stopped suddenly and groaned as his tremors shook his body harder. He pulled Alec closer and rubbed his chest to try to help him however he could, but he and Ben waited for Alec to say whatever it was that he wanted to say. Whatever it was, it had to be important since it was too hard on Alec to talk very much now. "Bl-blood tr-transfusion," Alec finally whispered.

"Blood transfusion?" Dean asked, not sure where his son was going with this.

"B-ben…"

He looked over at his oldest son, who was frowning as he thought about it. Alec was watching Ben, hoping that his brother would understand what he was getting at, so he wouldn't have to explain it. Something must have clicked for Ben because he looked up after a moment and said, "It might not work…"

"M-might g-give me m-more t-t-time," Alec said.

"Ben," he said, needing his boys to spell out whatever it was that they were thinking.

"It might not work, but if I give Alec a little more blood, maybe it can give his system a boost to fight off the seizures," Ben said. "It wouldn't get rid of them forever, but it might work enough to give him a break. And if he gets a break, then he could fight them off himself and get back on track."

"It doesn't hurt to try, right?" Dean asked, looking back and forth between his boys. He saw hope in Alec's eyes for the first time in a long time. "Alright, Ben, go get Sam and have him help you get whatever you need and bring it here." Ben nodded and ran out of the room to find Sam. "Alec, if this doesn't work, then we still gotta try for Seattle."

"E-even if it d-does w-work…" Alec had to stop again and just leaned against him.

"Even if it works, then we're still going to Seattle," Dean said, gently kissing Alec's temple. "I can't lose you, kiddo. I need you to be ok again." Alec nodded, and then just rested against him. He ran his hand through Alec's hair and held him close. He would do anything to make sure his boys were ok. He hadn't known what to do when Alec had shown up in their motel room, but ever since he'd met Alec, he'd known he had to protect him. Alec and Ben were his boys, and he felt helpless right now since he couldn't protect Alec from this.

"Hey," Sam said as he and Ben walked back into the room. Ben's face fell when he saw that Alec was asleep again.

"We're gonna give this a try before we hit up Seattle," Dean said. "But Ben, just one bag, ok buddy?"

"Ok Dad," Ben said.

"We'll give this a chance to work," Dean said.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

 _2010_

 _The tires squealed as he floored it into a parking lot. He threw the Impala into park, and then got out and grabbed Alec from the backseat. He started to run around the car but stopped when he saw multiple Impala's all lined up in a row._

 _"Hey. Come on," Sam said to get him moving again. Alec pushed on his shoulder, so he set him down, but grabbed his little hand so he couldn't get too far away from him. He spotted Chuck pacing at the bottom of some steps that led up to an old looking hotel. "Chuck! There you are," Sam said, running up to him. He wasn't far behind, and he was tempted to pick Alec up again, but he waited. He didn't even know what was going on yet._

 _"Guys?" Chuck asked, surprised._

 _"What's going on?" he asked._

 _"Ah, nothing," Chuck said with a shrug. "You know, I'm just kinda hanging. What are you guys doing here?"_

 _"You told us to come," he said._

 _"Ah, no I didn't," Chuck said._

 _"Yeah, you did," Sam stated. "You texted me. This address, life or death situation. Any of this ringing a bell?"_

 _"I didn't send you a text," Chuck said._

 _"We drove all night!" he snapped. Alec tugged on his sleeve, so he picked him up again. Alec knew he was mad, so he needed to pull it back. But he was pissed. If there wasn't an emergency, then what were they doing here?_

 _"I'm sorry, I don't understand what could…" Chuck trailed off, but then muttered, "Oh no…"_

 _"What?" he asked._

 _"Sam!" a woman squealed from the top of the stairs. "You made it!"_

 _Becky ran down the stairs, practically bouncing from excitement. "Oh, ah, Becky, right?" Sam asked._

 _"Oh, you remembered," Becky said. "You've been thinking about me."_

 _"I…"_

 _"It's ok," Becky said. "I can't get you out of my head either." She gasped suddenly, and then somehow her voice got higher, "Aw! You are so adorable! I didn't know you had a kid!"_

 _"Um, yeah, this is Alec," he said. Alec was looking at Becky like she was insane, which he thought was a definite possibility._

 _"Becky, did you take my phone?" Chuck asked._

 _"I just borrowed it from your pants," Becky said._

 _"Becky…" Chuck said with a sigh._

 _"What? They're going to want to see it!" Becky said, excited again._

 _"See what?" he, Sam, and Alec all asked at once._

 _"Oh my God," Becky said. "I love it when they talk at the same time!"_

 _"Hey Chuck?" a guy said from the top of the stairs. "Come on pal, it's showtime."_

 _Becky ran up the stairs, and then Chuck turned back to them. "Guys. I'm sorry. For everything."_

 _He looked at his brother, unsure what this could possibly be, but then they both followed him up the stairs. He put Alec down again once they were in the hotel, but his little boy grabbed his hand as he looked around. Alec was finally more comfortable around him and Sam, so he wasn't afraid to grab their hand or get a hug or things like that. For a while he would pull away, confused, or even flinch when they tried to hug him or pick him up. He was glad Alec was starting to realize that they were really going to keep him._

 _He watched a guy walk by with a glass of beer, but the guy looked at him and chuckled. "Hey Dean, looking good," the guy said._

 _"Do you know him?" Alec asked curiously._

 _"No," he said. "Who the hell are you?"_

 _The guy turned back to look at him, and he frowned when he saw that the guy was wearing a leather jacket just like he was and an amulet that looked fairly similar to the one he wore before Cas took it. "I'm Dean too. Duh," the guy said._

 _He looked over at Sam as the guy walked away, but his brother looked as confused as he was. Alec gasped softly next to him and hid slightly behind his leg as another guy walked up, looking kind of creepy in a scarecrow getup. "Uh-oh. It's Sam and Dean. I'm in trouble now," the scarecrow guy said to them. Alec hid even more behind him but peeked out from behind his leg. "Have fun you two. Aaah!"_

 _He picked Alec up again and soothed, "It's ok, baby, it's just pretend. That guy was just in a costume." Alec hid against him and tightened his arms around his neck. He heard someone giggling, so he spun around to see Becky was standing there. "What…" His eyes widened as he looked around the room and saw all kinds of monsters walking around. But it wasn't just monsters; it was monsters that they had hunted. Bloody Mary, black-eyed demons, ghosts, it was probably a good thing that Alec was still hiding against him. Alec didn't typically get scared on hunts, but this was even weirding him out._

 _"Becky…what is this?" Sam asked._

 _"It's awesome!" Becky said. "A Supernatural convention, the first ever."_

 _He held Alec closer, confused about this entire thing._

* * *

Present

"Hey kiddo, you ready for some food?" Dad asked, walking in just as he was waking up. He slowly nodded as he rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up a little more. "You want oatmeal or scrambled eggs?"

"Scrambled eggs," Alec breathed.

"You want breakfast in bed again or you wanna eat in the kitchen?" Dad asked.

"Kitchen," Alec said. "I need a minute though."

"Alright, I'll send your brother in a few minutes," Dad said, leaving the room again.

He slowly closed his eyes and curled up in his blankets. He wanted to get up, but he knew getting up by himself still wasn't an option for him. Thankfully, the blood transfusion actually worked. For once in his life, he hadn't completely screwed everything up and had come up with a good idea. He'd been able to actually get some sleep and rest enough to get his seizures back under control, so he wasn't on death's door anymore.

He wanted to immediately get to Seattle to find this guy, so he'd never have another seizure again, but he knew he needed to go slow to keep the seizures away. He was pretty sure if the seizures came back, then there was no getting them under control again. He'd had too many second chances, and he knew he wouldn't get many more. But he still had more time with his family. His Dad and Uncle were back, and he and his brother were alive. He had to be thankful for that.

"Hey, Dad said you were ready for breakfast," Ben said, his voice slightly muffled since he was under his blankets.

"Yeah…I need help up," Alec said.

"Are you cold?" Ben asked as he pulled the blankets slightly off of him.

"I am now," he grumbled. Ben was looking at him funny, so he growled, "What?"

Ben smiled, "I like that you sound like you again."

He rolled his eyes even though he was secretly glad that he sounded like himself again too. "You gonna help me up or not?" Alec said, trying not to sound too amused.

Ben helped him stand, and then kept him steady when he lost consciousness for a second. His left arm was over Ben's shoulders since his right arm still had to be in a sling, and he definitely needed Ben's support to make it from one room to another. He was hoping his muscles would start cooperating again soon, but until then, he needed his family's help to go anywhere. He was just glad that he could even go anywhere to begin with. He'd been pretty sure he was about to die before he'd had that weird dream, which gave him the idea to do a blood transfusion. His Dad had asked him, after he'd managed to be a little more coherent, what his dream had been about, but he couldn't explain it. He could barely remember it, and every time he tried to think about it, it just kind of disappeared.

"You ok?" Ben asked.

"Yeah," he breathed.

"You sure you wanna eat in the kitchen? It's a long way…" Ben said.

"I ate in the kitchen yesterday," Alec said.

"Yeah, and then pretty much passed out once you were back in bed," Ben said.

"I'm being careful," Alec said. "But if I don't start moving a little bit, then I'm never gonna do it."

"Fine, but how 'bout we stay in the kitchen for a while after you finish eating?" Ben suggested.

"Did Dad put you up to this?" Alec asked suspiciously.

"What do you think?" Ben shot back.

"I know I was pretty much gone, but we can't live like that," Alec said. "We can't live always scared."

"I'll be less scared when we find a way to stop the seizures for good," Ben said.

"We still gotta wait a little," Alec said. "I wanna be sure I'm up for it before we go anywhere."

"Don't worry, we're not goin' anywhere until you've recovered a little more," Ben said.

"Can you at least say that it's pretty awesome that I'm back on my feet?" Alec asked.

Ben chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, it's pretty awesome that you're back on your feet. It's good to see you walking around again."

He smiled but didn't say anything else since he needed to save his energy. He sank down into his chair and Dad slid over a plate of scrambled eggs covered in cheese and ketchup. His smile widened as he slowly started to eat. Dad messed up his hair and even put some bacon in front of him and Ben. It'd been a while since he'd had good, solid food, so he knew he shouldn't overdo it, but he loved bacon. He ate a few pieces of bacon and all of the scrambled eggs, and even drank most of the orange juice, feeling nice and full once he was done.

"Looks like his appetite is back," Uncle Sam teased.

"I was hungry," he said.

"Good," Dad said. "But I'm still gonna make you a milkshake."

"Alright," he easily agreed.

"Well, he's not back to normal yet," Ben muttered. He glared at his brother, who quickly defended, "You always argue with Dad, hell, you argue with everyone. You didn't argue, so, you're not back to normal yet."

"Shut up," he grumbled.

"That sounds like our Alec," Dad said. He rolled his eyes, and then rested his head against his arms, which were resting on the table. "Hey, you ok," Dad asked, walking up behind him. He felt Dad's hand against the back of his neck, and knew his Dad was about to freak out again. "You feel a little warm, kiddo…"

"Dad, I'm fine," Alec said. "I'm the same temperature that I was a few hours ago when you checked."

"You should probably go back to bed anyway," Uncle Sam said.

"What about my milkshake?" Alec whined.

"Milkshake to-go," Dad said. "I'll bring it to ya once it's ready."

He really wanted to argue, but he was going to have to go back to bed, which meant he would have to walk, with help, but it was still going to drain him, and that was dangerous. "Alright, Ben…I'm gonna need some more help…"

Thankfully, Ben didn't tease him since his emotions were all over the place right now. The other day he'd started tearing up just because Dad brought him breakfast, and then told him that he could take a shower instead of a bath. Dad didn't say anything since he knew that would've just made it worse. Nearly dying really took it out of him.

Ben helped him up and they slowly walked all the way back to the rec room. He was surprised Dad hadn't tried to get them to go back to their own room, except Dad and Uncle Sam had been staying in the rec room too.

"Do you want another blanket?" Ben asked as he eased him down onto his mattress.

"No, these are good," Alec whispered. "I'm not as cold as I was."

"That's good," Ben said. His brother pulled the covers up for him and fluffed his pillow.

"Can you turn on the TV?" Alec asked sleepily.

"Sure," Ben agreed.

"And…um…"

"I'm not goin' anywhere, little brother," Ben reassured.

* * *

 _2010_

 _He didn't like this place. He didn't like it one bit. All these people were dressed up like monsters, but they weren't monsters, and there were a lot of people dressed up like Sam and Dean. It didn't seem like this was a hunt, so he didn't know why they were still here._

 _Dean held him closer as they walked into another room. He hoped Dean wouldn't put him down again until after they left. And even though he really didn't want Dean to put him down for a very long time, he hoped they would leave soon._

 _"Welcome to the first annual Supernatural convention," a man said at a microphone. He didn't know what this was really all about, but Sam and Dean were weirded out, so he was weirded out too. And he wished Dean would explain it to him, but he would try to wait until there was a good time to talk. "At 3:45 in the Magnolia room we have the panel, 'Frightened little boy, the secret life of Dean'. And at 4:30 there's the 'Homoerotic subtext of Supernatural'."_

 _"What is that guy talking about? Why is there a panel with your name in it?" he whispered to Dean, unable to stop his questions anymore._

 _"I have no idea," Dean breathed, shocked._

 _"Oh, and of course the big hunt starts at 7pm sharp," the man said._

 _"A real hunt?" he asked, tugging on Dean's collar._

 _"I don't know, kiddo," Dean said._

 _"But right now, I'd like to introduce the man himself," the man continued. "The creator, the writer of the Supernatural books. The one, the only, Carver Edlund!"_

 _Everyone went crazy, clapping and cheering as Chuck walked on the stage. Dean stiffened, and Sam looked angry, so they were mad about whatever books they were cheering about, and he assumed Chuck was this Carver Edlund dude. He thought things were going to start making sense, but it was even more confusing now._

 _He quickly covered his ears when the microphone screeched obnoxiously when Chuck touched it. Dean held him even closer and put his hand on the back of his head since he knew that hurt his ears. Even though it hurt, he did feel better knowing that Dean knew that it hurt him. He really liked being with Sam and Dean. They knew all of his weirdness and they were ok with it. He hadn't known he was all that weird until they told him that he couldn't do certain things in front of people other than them unless it was an emergency. But they were still ok with it, so it was ok to be weird._

 _"Ok. Ok good, this isn't nearly as awkward as I…" Chuck stopped and cleared his throat nervously. "Dry mouth…" He picked up a bottle of water and chugged it, which made it more awkward. "Ok. Uh…ahem. So I guess…questions?" His eyes widened when everyone's hand went up at the same time. "Uh…you?" Chuck sort of said._

 _"Hey, Mr. Edlund. Uh…big fan," a guy in the front row said. "I was just wondering, where'd you come up with Sam and Dean in the first place?"_

 _He looked to Dean, but he was just looking at Chuck. He wished he knew what was going on and why Sam and Dean were so angry. "Oh, ah, I…it just came to me," Chuck said. More hands immediately shot up, so Chuck called on someone else. "Ok. Yeah. The hook man."_

 _"Ah yeah," hook man said with a German accent. "Why in every fight scene, Sam and Dean are having their gun knocked away by the bad guy? Why don't they keep it on some kind of bungee?" Ok, that was a valid question. Sam and Dean dropped their weapons a lot, but he didn't think a bungee would be the most practical solution. They'd have to hook the bungee to themselves, but that could get in the way, and if it was a knife, then it could cut them when it bounced back._

 _Dean really didn't like that question, probably because he didn't like being told he dropped his weapon a lot. He couldn't help it sometimes though because bad guys could be really mean and pop up out of nowhere sometimes. "I…yeah, I really don't know," Chuck replied._

 _"Ja, follow up," hook man said. "Why can't Sam and Dean be telling that Ruby is evil? I mean, she is clearly manipulating Sam into some kind of moral lapse. It's obvious, nein?"_

 _"Who's Ruby?" he whispered. Now Sam looked really mad, but Dean looked like he was actually thinking about that question._

 _Becky suddenly stomped over to the hook man, "Hey! If you don't like the books, don't read 'em Fritz."_

 _"Books? What books?" he whispered to Dean._

 _"You don't wanna know," Dean mumbled back. He didn't like that answer because he clearly did want to know. That's why he had asked about it. But he could at least figure out that these books were about Sam and Dean since everyone looked like Sam and Dean or some kind of monster. And they knew things like them losing their weapons and about hunting, so maybe the books really were about Sam and Dean. But if that was the case, then where were the questions about him?_

 _"Ok, ok, just…ok, it's ok," Chuck said to smooth things over again. "So, next question…" These people had a lot of questions. And really, he would like to ask a question too, but he figured he should ask later. "Yeah, you."_

 _"Yeah, at the end of the last book, Dean goes to hell. So, what happens next?" a guy asked._

 _He glared at Dean because these books seemed real to him, so why didn't he know about Dean going to hell? He should know that kind of thing. And Dean was ignoring him, so it had to be true. Dean didn't ignore him unless he was hiding something from him. He didn't like this one bit._

 _He wiggled to get Dean to put him down, and then crossed his arms so Dean couldn't hold his hand or anything. He didn't like being put down and not holding Dean's hand, but Dean was hiding things from him, and he didn't like that more._

 _"Oh. Well, there lies an announcement, actually," Chuck said. "You're all going to find out." Dean put his hand on his shoulder, so he took a step away, which made Dean sigh. "Thanks to a wealthy Scandinavian investor, we're going to start publishing again." Everyone freaked out at that, cheering and clapping, so they must really like these books._

 _Dean grabbed his arm and drug him back out into the lobby since it seemed like the questions were done. Dean crouched down in front of him and asked, "What's wrong, kiddo?"_

 _"You're keeping things from me again," he muttered._

 _"There's just some things you don't need to know," Dean said. "Maybe when you're older I'll tell you everything, but right now, you're too little and I want you to be a kid for a while."_

 _"But I want to know," he stated._

 _"Not right now," Dean said, making it sound final. He huffed and walked off even though he knew Dean was going to throw a fit. "Alec, get back over here," Dean said._

 _"I'm going to stay in eyesight," he shot back._

 _Dean turned to Sam and muttered, "I'm gonna have to change that rule again…"_

 _"Just give him a few minutes," Sam whispered back. They still thought they were being quiet enough around him, but they were wrong, and he wasn't about to correct them. "He's a smart kid, Dean, he probably figured out that what they were talking about was real, and now he wants to know."_

 _Dean quickly shushed Sam, "Keep it down. He doesn't need to know all the shit that's in those books. He's too young."_

 _He rolled his eyes and walked around the room full of people. He finally found Chuck talking to Becky and quickly interrupted, "Excuse me."_

 _"Um…yeah?" Chuck asked._

 _"Am I gonna be in the new books?" he asked._

 _"Who are you?" Chuck asked._

 _"My name's Alec," he said, sticking out his hand. Dean had taught him how to shake hands, and he wanted to prove that he could do it right. Chuck smiled a little and shook his hand._

 _"My name's Chuck," the guy said._

 _"So, am I gonna be in the books?" he asked._

 _"I don't know yet," Chuck replied, his eyes finally lighting up in recognition. He forced himself to not roll his eyes since he'd already met Chuck, but people usually ignored him since he was just a little kid._

 _"How come?" he asked._

 _"Because…" Chuck looked around nervously, which made him frown. This guy was keeping things from him too and he was really tired of it._

 _"Oh, hi Sam!" Becky said._

 _He huffed since Sam and Dean had already decided that they needed to track him down again. He just wanted a few answers from this guy since he knew all about Sam and Dean. Like, was Dean going to keep him? Was Dean ever going to be ok with him calling him Dad for real? What happened with Dean and hell? He needed to know these things. He was part cat for crying out loud; if Dean didn't let him know things, then he was going to die from curiosity._

 _Dean grabbed him again, which he was getting a little tired of. Dean got really grabby when he didn't know exactly what was going on. Most of the time it was ok, but it wasn't ok now because he was mad. "Excuse us," Dean said to Becky before he picked him up again and said to Chuck, "In case you haven't noticed, our plates are kind of full, ok? Finding the Colt, hunting the devil. We don't have time for this crap."_

 _"I don't think it's all crap," he mumbled, but Dean ignored him again. He really, really didn't like it when Dean ignored him._

 _"Hey, I didn't call you!" Chuck defended._

 _"He means the…you know what," Sam said, glancing over at him. He did roll his eyes this time. "Why are you making more of them?"_

 _"Um…for food and shelter?" Chuck asked more than said. This guy needed to grow a spine. If he wanted to write more books, then he should. Someone should know how awesome Sam and Dean were even if they thought it was all made up. And he really wanted to show up in the stories at some point, since he was actually part of Sam and Dean's lives. At least, he wanted to be. He was staying with them, but he didn't know for sure how long this would last. He hoped forever._

 _"Who gave you the rights to…this?" Dean growled._

 _"An Archangel, and I didn't want it!" Chuck said like Dean already knew this._

 _"Well, deal's off, ok. No more…of them," Sam said. "You have no right to give this out…to the public."_

 _Man, they were trying really hard to keep this from him. They really should just give up since he was going to search and search until he found everything. He wouldn't stop until he knew what exactly was in these books._

 _"Ah…Becky. Would you excuse us for just a second?" Chuck asked._

 _Becky quickly nodded, "Uh-huh!"_

 _"You stay right here," Dean said to him, sitting him down on a barstool._

 _"You're gonna leave me at the bar?" he asked, trying to make it sound like Dean was insane._

 _"Just stay here," Dean said. "Or else."_

 _"Do you really think I can't live without TV, because I can," he stated._

 _"No hunting," Dean said with a warning look._

 _"That's not fair," he said, pouting back._

 _"Just stay put," Dean said, kissing the top of his head._

 _Luckily, they didn't move far enough away again. He smirked a little since Sam and Dean just didn't know a whole lot yet. "Do you guys know what I do for a living?" Chuck asked._

 _"Yeah Chuck, we know," Sam said._

 _"Then could you tell me?" Chuck asked. "'Cause I don't, alright? I'm not a good writer. I've got no marketable skills. I'm not some hero who can just hit the road and fight monsters, ok? Until the world ends, I gotta live, alright? And the Supernatural books are all I've got. What else do you want me to do?"_

 _A woman screamed suddenly, and he was off the barstool and up the stairs before anyone else. Sam and Dean were right behind him, and this time, it was Sam who was Mr. Grabby. A maid was crouched down in the corner, and once Sam had pushed him behind himself, he walked over to the maid and helped her up. "Hey, are you ok?"_

 _"I think so," the lady said._

 _"What happened?" Dean asked._

 _More people ran up the stairs, and he realized it was the people from the room where Chuck had answered questions. A guy wearing a leather jacket said with a fake deep voice, "A ghost? Could you tell us what it looked like?"_

 _"Where the hell are you getting a ghost?" he asked._

 _"Language, Alec," Sam said, pointing a finger at him._

 _"Hell isn't a bad word," he said. "It's a place."_

 _"It's not nice when you say it like that," Sam said._

 _"Why don't you leave this to the grownups, pal," Dean said to the poor lookalike. He chuckled when the tall, skinny Sam and the larger Dean looked at him, and then back at Dean, clearly saying that he was a kid and not a grownup, so what Dean had said was completely ass backwards._

 _"A woman," the maid said, sounding mystical. "She was in an old fashioned dress. Really old. Like a school marm, or something?"_

 _"So…you did see a ghost?" he asked, confused. How did larger Dean know that this lady had seen a ghost? She could have screamed for any reason, but hey, why not a ghost?_

 _"Did she say something to you?" another guy asked._

 _The maid slowly smiled, "Gather close everybody, for a terrifying tale of terror. I saw, a ghost!" Sam turned and walked away, while Dean grabbed his hand again._

 _"Wait, I wanna know what it is," he said, tugging on Dean's hand._

 _"None other than the ghost of Leticia Gore herself," the maid said from behind them. "I was on the third floor getting ice for a guest…"_

 _"Alec, this is all make believe," Dean said, still dragging him away. He ripped his hand out of Dean's since he was done with all the manhandling. "Alec-"_

 _"You're being too grabby again," he stated. "I wanna know what's going on. Why are they pretending that there's a ghost here?"_

 _"Oooo, the LARPing's started," Becky said, running up to them._

 _"The…What is that again?" Dean asked._

 _"Live Action Role Playing. It's a game. The convention puts it on," Becky said._

 _"See, it's just a game," Dean said to him._

 _"Then why can't we play? We'd be really good at it," he said._

 _Becky handed Sam a piece of paper, and then Sam read, "Dad's Journal. Dear Sam and Dean, this hotel is haunted. You must hunt down the ghost. Interview witnesses, discover clues, and find the bones. First team to do so wins a 50 dollar gift card to Sizzler. Love Dad."_

 _"You guys are so gonna win," Becky said with a big smile._

 _He tugged on Dean's hand again and looked up at him pleadingly. It worked a lot when he used this look, so maybe it'll work this time. He really wanted to play, and he wanted to find out more from Chuck. "Can we play? Please Dad?" He made sure to tack on the Dad part since that usually got Dean too. He did want Dean to be his Dad, but he didn't know if it was ok or not. But in public it was always ok._

 _Dean hesitated and looked over at Sam, who shrugged back. "I guess we could stick around for a little while…"_

 _"And play," he said._

 _Dean growled a little bit, but then said, "Yeah…and play."_

 _"Can I be you and you be Uncle Sam?" he asked, picking Dean's pocket to get his fake badge out._

 _"Then who am I gonna be?" Sam asked, trying to hide his smile._

 _"You can be Bobby," he said. Sam chuckled and nodded his ok._

 _He grabbed Dean's hand again and quickly left the area where the maid was still going on and on about the ghost. She only knew so much; he'd have to go to someone higher up to get the real information. Sam followed behind him and Dean, and then they stopped when he finally found the guy that had introduced Chuck._

 _"Excuse me," he said, poking the man's squishy side._

 _The man looked down in confusion, so he flipped out Dean's fake badge and said, "I'm Agent Lennon and these are my partners McCartney and Ringo."_

 _"Starr," Dean whispered to him._

 _"I mean Starr," he corrected with an easy wave. "What can you tell me about this place? Is it haunted?"_

 _"Aren't you just adorable," the man said._

 _"Please just answer the questions," he stated. "I'm a Federal Agent and I can arrest you for obstruction to justice."_

 _The man chuckled, which made it even more annoying, but then he said, "Well yes, Agents Lennon, McCartney, and Starr, as manager of this fine establishment I can assure you that it is indeed haunted. This building was once an orphanage, run by mean old Leticia Gore. 100 years ago, this very night, Miss Gore went insane, and butchered four little boys before killing herself. Now folks say that the souls of those little boys are trapped here, and the evil spirit of Miss Gore punishes them to this very day."_

 _He looked up at Dean, who nodded back to him. "Ok, thank you for your time," he said, sticking his hand out. The man shook it, and then Dean messed up his hair._

 _"Now what?" Dean asked._

 _"Um…we should talk to someone else who might know more," he said._

 _"Who do you wanna talk to?" Sam asked him._

 _He looked around the room, ruling out the other people who were dressed up as Sam and Dean, and then his eyes landed on the bar. "Bartender," he said._

 _"I like the way you think," Dean said with a smile._

 _He led the way over to the bar, and Dean picked him up and sat him on the barstool again. "Barkeep! I'll have a double!" he yelled._

 _The bartender didn't look amused, but then Dean said, "Two beers and a Coke."_

 _"I get to have a soda?" he asked excitedly._

 _"'Course," Dean said. "When you talk to the bartender to get info, then you gotta order somethin' to make 'em happy and get 'em talking."_

 _"Right," he said with a nod. The bartender gave them their drinks, but then immediately walked away. "Hey!" he said, trying to get the guy's attention again._

 _"You want me to take the lead on this one?" Dean asked him._

 _"Just for a few minutes, and then I want it back," he said._

 _Dean looked down the bar, but he didn't motion to the bartender again. Instead, he looked at him and asked, "You wanna try that lady over there?"_

 _"She's dressed up like a ghost," he said. "And she's not playing right because she's on her phone. Ghosts don't have phones."_

 _"Maybe she'll give us a hint," Dean said._

 _"I don't need a hint," he stated. "I'm a professional."_

 _"Let's just see what she knows," Dean said._

 _They moved down a few barstools, and he climbed up onto the one next to the fake ghost lady. "How you doin'?" he asked, trying to sound like Dean did when he was talking to girls._

 _"Busy," the lady said._

 _Dean nudged him, and then whispered what he should say, so he repeated, "Well you sure look lovely tonight. Especially for a dead chick."_

 _"Buddy, I have heard that line 17 times tonight, ok? And all from dudes wearing MacGyver jackets," the lady said, still looking at her phone. She finally looked up, and she smiled a little when she saw that she was talking to him instead of one of the other fake Deans, and then smiled more when she looked at the real Dean. "But you seem different," she said._

 _"Because I'm a lot better lookin' than all those other dudes," he said with a nod._

 _"And you're not afraid of women," she said._

 _He smiled, and he was just about to ask her some questions when he heard something more interesting. Some dude was definitely stressing out. "For the last time, I'm not making this up, ok? She's upstairs, a real live dead ghost."_

 _He chuckled, "That's a good way to put it."_

 _"Excuse us," Dean said to the ghost lady._

 _"I'm sure it was just one of the ghost actors," another guy said to the freaked out man._

 _Dean helped him down and let him lead the way over to the guys. "Who beat the hell out of me and then vanished?" freaked out guy replied sarcastically._

 _"You saw something?" Sam asked. He glared up at Sam, but he wasn't paying attention to him again._

 _"This isn't part of the game, jerk," the guy snapped at Sam before he looked back at his friend. "Look, I'm getting out of here and you should do the same."_

 _"Alex, wait. Hey, come back!" his friend yelled before he ran after him._

 _"What do you think?" Sam asked Dean._

 _"I don't think that guy's a good enough actor to be acting," Dean said._

 _"So…is this real now?" he asked sadly. "Are we done playing?"_

 _"I don't know, kiddo," Dean said._

 _"Can I keep asking the questions?" he asked. "I never get to ask questions on a hunt, and they won't think it's weird since everyone will think we're still playing."_

 _"Yeah, you can keep asking the questions," Dean said. "But if this is real, then you're not gonna be part of the actual hunt."_

 _"Why not?" he asked, crossing his arms again defiantly._

 _"Because if this is some crazy teacher lady who goes after kids, then she'll go after you," Dean said._

 _"But that's perfect since then she'll show up if I'm around," he said._

 _"We'll see," Dean finally replied, which was Dean-speak for no. "Hey, you still get to take lead."_

 _"Who do you want to talk to next?" Sam asked._

 _"Someone who isn't part of the game and who isn't the bartender," he said._

 _Dean looked around the crowded room, and then suggested, "Front desk guy?"_

 _"Yeah," he said. He walked right up to the front desk and said, "Excuse me, can I ask you a few questions?"_

 _"Look kid, I'm not playing the make believe Star Wars game. Go ask the guy in the ascot," front desk guy said._

 _"I don't know what an ascot is," he said._

 _"And, uh, we really want to talk to you," Dean said, sliding something across the desk. "C'mon man, he just has a few questions…"_

 _"Ok. You guys are really into this," front desk guy said._

 _"You have no idea," Sam muttered._

 _"What do you want to know?" front desk guy asked him._

 _"Is this place really haunted? And is it really Leticia Gore?" he asked._

 _"I think you're too young for-"_

 _"Dude, just answer his questions," Dean cut off._

 _"We generally don't like to publicize this to…normal people…but yeah," front desk guy said. "1909 this place was called 'Gore Orphanage'. Miss Gore killed four boys with a butcher's knife, then offed herself."_

 _"Don't sugar-coat it," Sam mumbled._

 _"And is tonight really her anniversary?" he asked, ignoring Sam. It felt better to be the one ignoring Sam or Dean instead of being the one ignored._

 _"Yep, guess your convention folks want authenticity," front desk guy said._

 _"Has anyone seen this ghost lady?" he asked._

 _"Yep, over the years," front desk guy said with a nod. "A few maids have quit saying they heard the boys or saw them. A janitor even saw Miss Gore once."_

 _He looked over at Dean since he didn't know what else he needed to ask. He hadn't been on enough hunts yet to know how to take the lead. Dean whispered to him, and then he repeated, "Where did Miss Gore carve up the kids?"_

 _"Look, I don't want you stomping all over the joint," front desk guy said, sounding really snotty. "A lot of this place is off limits to nerds." Dean sighed and slid something else over to the guy, who then quickly answered, "The attic."_

* * *

Present

Alec barely shifted on the sofa, but his movement instantly drew his attention. He couldn't stop watching his brother to make sure he was still ok. He had almost lost his brother. All they could do was sit there and watch as he slowly slipped away. He couldn't stand the thought of it ever happening again. They needed to go to Seattle as soon as Alec was able to travel.

"I'm still ok," Alec said, moving down to rest his head on his pillow.

"Do you need another blanket?" he asked.

"When are you gonna quit watching me?" Alec mumbled sleepily.

"When I think you're better," he shot back. "Or when we find that guy from Seattle and get rid of the seizures for good."

Alec didn't say anything for a long time, but then he finally whispered, "I'm sorry."

"For having seizures?" he asked, confused.

"I didn't feel good before we left to get Dad and Uncle Sam, but I didn't say anything," Alec said.

"It's ok," he said. It wasn't ok, but he didn't want to argue with Alec right now. But it wasn't entirely Alec's fault since he'd known his brother was off before they had left, but he had wanted his brother with him, so he hadn't said anything. Alec could've died and it would've been at least partly his fault.

"It's not," Alec said. "When you wanna fight, I'll be ready for it."

"I'm not gonna fight with you until we get the seizures figured out," he said.

Alec smiled just a little, "You do realize that you just gave me a great reason to be a complete pain in the ass, right?"

"You're too tired to be a pain in the ass right now," he said. He picked up his book again since he thought Alec was going to fall asleep, but then Rowena walked into the room, so he put his book down as he rolled his eyes. He was grateful for her help, but Alec was better now, and Dad and Uncle Sam were back, so they didn't need her again until they figured out how to get Cas and Jody, Mary, and Jack back.

"Hello boys," Rowena said. She was carrying a tray with drinks on them, a mug and a taller glass. "Your father wanted you to have these."

"Thanks," he said as Alec struggled to sit up. He would have reached over to help him up, but Alec had started snapping at him when he tried to help too much, so he might as well let him struggle a little bit.

"What is it?" Alec asked suspiciously before he grabbed the glass.

"Just a milkshake for you," Rowena said with a smile. "Coffee for Benjamin."

"Alec's better now, so you can stop calling me Benjamin," he grumbled, taking the coffee mug.

Rowena just waved at him, completely ignoring him before she looked at Alec again, "Are you feeling better, my dear?"

"Lots better," Alec said. His brother blushed a little bit, and then said, "Thanks for helping me…"

"Anything for you, my dear," Rowena said. She started walking out of the room again, but stopped and said, "Your father said he'll be in to check on you again in a little while to see if you are hungry."

"Thanks Rowena," Alec said as she left the room.

"Why is she still here?" he grumbled.

"Because she's the best lead we have to finding the others," Alec said, slowly sipping the milkshake.

"Would you say that if it was Crowley that was sticking around?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Alec glared at him, so he said, "Sorry. I shouldn't have gone there. I just don't like her very much."

"When do you think we'll go to Seattle?" Alec asked, changing the subject.

"When you're feeling better," he automatically replied.

"I feel better," Alec said, sounding sleepy again.

"When you feel even better," he said. "How 'bout you get some more sleep?"

"Dad's gonna check on me again soon," Alec mumbled.

"I can wake you up when Dad's comes in here," he suggested.

"Promise?" Alec asked.

"Promise," he said. He smiled a little when Alec snuggled under his blankets and fell asleep.

* * *

 _2010_

 _It took a lot of arguing and promising that he would listen to everything Dean said to get him to agree that he could look through the attic with them. They wouldn't let him go first anymore, but he did get to go into the attic. He was still relegated to flashlight duty, but at least he got to crawl through the little space and stay with them._

 _"The EMF's going nuts," Sam said._

 _"Great. We got a real ghost, and we got a bunch of dudes pretending to be us poking at it," Dean muttered._

 _"No way this ends well," Sam said._

 _"I had fun," he whispered._

 _Dean smiled and messed up his hair, "You did a good job, kiddo."_

 _"I like pretending to be like you," he said. "I think you're really cool and everyone else here thinks so too."_

 _Dean looked surprised to hear that, but happy too. It looked like Dean was about to say something, but then he was serious again, and he was suddenly being pulled behind him._

 _"My mommy loves me," a creepy ghost boy said in the corner of the room. He was covering his head, which was weird, but he couldn't really see anything else since Dean wouldn't let him see around his legs. "I said my mommy loves me," creepy ghost boy said when they didn't acknowledge him. He totally knew that feeling._

 _"I'm sure she does," Sam slowly replied._

 _"My mommy loves me this much!" the boy said, moving his hands. His eyes widened and he gasped when he saw that the ghost kid had been scalped._

 _Dean grabbed him, and this time he was ok with it, and then the little boy disappeared. Dean practically forced him through the little crawlspace, and then picked him up again. They went back down to the bar area without looking back, and he was pretty sure this was going to be the end of the hunt for him, which was disappointing._

 _"You ok, kiddo?" Dean whispered to him, holding him close._

 _"I'm fine," he said. "That creepy ghost kid wasn't even close. And he didn't attack us, so I think I should still be in on this."_

 _"I'm gonna make a call. You go find Chuck," Sam said to Dean._

 _"There's no way I'm letting you in on this one," Dean said, walking back over to where Chuck and Becky were._

 _"But you said I could hunt ghosts with you," he said, playing with Dean's jacket collar. He missed Dean's necklace and wished Cas would bring it back._

 _"I'll think about it," Dean said. Another way of Dean saying no without actually saying no._

 _Dean stood next to Chuck as they waited for Sam to finish his phone call. Sam was pacing back and forth as he talked to whoever he had called, but he kept looking over here every so often, looking uncomfortable. He finally figured out that Becky was making weird faces at Sam, which was kind of funny. Chuck didn't look happy about it, but Becky wasn't stopping._

 _Sam finally walked back over and said, "Alright, so, that was a guy with the County Historical Society."_

 _"And?" Dean asked._

 _"Not only did Leticia Gore butcher four boys, but one of them was her own son," Sam said._

 _"Her son," Dean stated._

 _"Yeah. According to the police at the time, she scalped the kid," Sam said._

 _"Oh that's it, I'm gonna deep fry this bitch extra crispy," Dean said._

 _"Dean," Sam said with a sigh._

 _Dean sighed too and said to him, "Don't say 'deep fry this bitch extra crispy'."_

 _"Maybe say it like you mean it," Sam suggested._

 _"Sam-"_

 _"We need to teach him things, Dean," Sam cut off. "He's our responsibility, so we need to teach him."_

 _"Dude, drop it," Dean said._

 _"Dean," he said, tugging on Dean's collar again._

 _"You're definitely out of this one," Dean said, already knowing what he wanted. "Did he say where she was buried?" Dean asked Sam._

 _"He doesn't know," Sam said._

 _"Check it out," fake, skinny Sam said a few feet away. "There's the orphanage, here's the carriage house, and right there…cemetery."_

 _"You think that's where Leticia's planted?" fake Dean asked._

 _"It's worth a shot," fake Sam said._

 _"Dad," he whispered. "They found a clue for the hunt."_

 _"Who did?" Dean asked._

 _"Those two guys dressed up like you and Uncle Sam," he said._

 _"You're gonna have to be a little more specific," Dean said._

 _"Those two," he said, pointing._

 _Dean hit Sam's arm before they walked over to the two guys, Dean still carrying him. Sam reached out and touched what looked like a very old map. "Hey! Hey!" fake Sam said, waving Sam off._

 _"Hey, do you mind?" fake Dean asked._

 _"It's real," Sam said to Dean. "A century old, at least, and he's right, there is a cemetery on the grounds."_

 _"Where'd you get that?" Dean asked fake Dean._

 _"It's called a game, pal. It ain't called charity," fake Dean said._

 _"Dad…I really wanna win the game," he said with a fake sniffle._

 _Dean looked at the guy like he was the most insensitive person in the world, but the guy still wouldn't give it up. "Gimme the map, Chuckles," Dean said. That was a better name for fake Dean, so he was going to call fake Dean, Chuckles._

 _"Yeah, well, you're the Chuckles, Chuckles. Besides, Dean don't listen to nobody," Chuckles said. Chuckles moved his jacket to show a plastic gun. He laughed since this guy was seriously lame and not anywhere close to how cool his Dean was._

 _"Dean! Cool it," fake Sam said. He was going to think of him as Stringbean since he was really skinny._

 _Dean pulled out his real gun, making Sam say, "Dean!"_

 _"What! They're freakin' annoying," Dean said. "Plus, Alec's the cutest, they should just give him the map."_

 _"Look, guys," Sam said, trying to smooth things over. "We all wanna find the bones, right? We just thought…it would go faster if we all worked together."_

 _Chuckles and Stringbean shared a look, and then Stringbean said, "We…ah…we get the Sizzler gift card."_

 _"Fine," Dean said, rolling his eyes._

 _"Dad," he whined. He really wanted to win. He might be just a little bit too competitive._

 _"I'll get you a milkshake once this is over," Dean reassured._

 _"And we get to be Sam and Dean," Chuckles said._

 _"That's not fair!" he yelled. "I already called dibs."_

 _"You can be Dean Jr," Chuckles said._

 _"Hell no," he said._

 _"Alec," Sam hissed._

 _"I'll be Alec," he said sadly._

 _"Alec's the coolest character there is," Dean said, kissing the side of his head. He snuggled against Dean and smiled to himself._

 _"Which character is Alec?" Stringbean asked._

 _"Just the best hunter in Supernatural," Sam said. "Only the real fans know about him."_

 _"Is he mentioned in one of the books?" Chuckles asked._

 _"We got a sneak preview of the new books from Mr. Edlund," Dean said. "He's gonna be in the new ones a lot."_

 _"We better get back to hunting," he said, hiding his smile. He felt all warm inside, and now Dean was rubbing his back which was making everything better._

 _They walked outside, and Dean slowly put him down once they were out there. He grabbed Dean's hand this time since he wasn't mad at him anymore. He'd find those books later and read them all to know what this was all about, and he just wouldn't let Dean know since he thought he was too little. But if he didn't say he couldn't, then it wasn't a rule yet. He just wanted to know everything there was to know about Sam and Dean._

 _"Hey, Rufus, Bobby, Alec, would you hurry it up?" Chuckles said._

 _"Sorry about the game, kiddo," Dean said._

 _He swung Dean's hand as they walked and shrugged, "That's ok."_

 _"We'll get a milkshake and a big slice of pie once this is all over," Dean said._

 _"So, where were we?" Stringbean asked Chuckles a few feet ahead of them._

 _"Ah, Dr. Ellicott had just zapped your brain," Chuckles said._

 _"Right, got it," Stringbean said, clearing his throat. "Why are we even here Dean? You just following Dad's footsteps like a good little soldier? You that desperate for approval?"_

 _"This isn't you talking, Sam," Chuckles replied._

 _He cocked his head to the side curiously, unsure what these two were doing. He was tempted to ask, but he would figure it out sooner or later. "See, that's the difference between you and me," Stringbean said. "I got a mind of my own. I'm not pathetic."_

 _"So, what are you going to do Sam? Are you going to kill me?" Chuckles asked._

 _He gasped a little since he hadn't been expecting that. "Alright, you know what? That's it," Dean said before they could keep going. He was surprised that Dean let them go that far. But now he really needed to find those books._

 _"What wrong Bobby?" Chuckles asked._

 _Dean didn't say anything, so he looked up and saw that he was angry again. "I'm not Bobby, ok?" Dean finally said. "You're not Sam. You're not Dean. What is wrong with you? Why in the hell would you choose to be these guys?"_

 _"Because we're fans. Like you," Stringbean said._

 _"No. I am not a fan, ok. Not fans," Dean said. "In fact, I think that the Dean and Sam story sucks. It is not fun. It is not entertaining. It's a river of crap that would send most people howling to the nut house." Tears filled his eyes since he didn't like hearing Dean talk like this. Dean was a hero. "So you listen to me. Their pain is not for your amusement. I mean, do you think they enjoy being treated like…like circus freaks?"_

 _"Uh…I don't think they care, because they're fictional characters," Chuckles said like it was obvious._

 _"Oh, they care. Believe me. They care a lot," Dean said before he started walking again, dragging him along with him. He accidentally sniffled after they were pretty far away from the others, and then quickly wiped away the tear that had fallen down his cheek. Dean stopped suddenly, and then crouched in front of him. "Oh, kiddo, I'm sorry," Dean soothed. "The story only sucks up to the point where you come along. I love having you here with me." He shook his head no and took a small step back, but Dean wouldn't let him get very far away. "Alec, I swear I didn't mean any of that about you."_

 _"It's not that," he whispered._

 _"Then what is it?" Dean asked, concerned._

 _"I think you're awesome," he mumbled. "And I think you're a hero and I think that you should think you're a hero too."_

 _"Alec…"_

 _"You saved me," he stressed. "You save a lot of people. That's what heroes do."_

 _"I'm not a hero, Alec," Dean said._

 _"Yes you are," he argued. "You don't have to keep me, but you didn't kick me out even though I'm really messed up. You didn't have to do that. You still don't."_

 _"Alec, I'm keeping you," Dean soothed. "You're the coolest kid I've ever met and I'm keeping you forever. I never want to lose you."_

 _"Ok," he said, wiping his nose on his sleeve._

 _"C'mere kiddo," Dean said, pulling him into a tight hug. "Will it make you feel better if I let you hunt this ghost with us?" He nodded, so Dean chuckled, "Alright, but don't get it into your freaky smart head that this is a good way to get what you want." He laughed and snuggled against Dean's neck. "You're my kid, Alec," Dean whispered. "You're mine and Sam's and we're keeping you forever."_

 _"I still think you're a hero," he whispered._

 _Dean smiled a little and messed up his hair, "I guess there's no point in arguing with you."_

 _"Nope," he said._

 _Dean stood up suddenly, taking him with him, but he was used to that more now. "What do you think of this whole convention thing?" Dean asked him._

 _"I think it's fun," he said. "I liked the game."_

 _"That was pretty fun," Dean agreed. "You were awesome at taking the lead."_

 _"I know," he stated, even though he didn't know that. "I just wish people would talk to little kids more often, so I could ask more questions on the hunt."_

 _"Well, I want you to stay a kid," Dean said. "If you get bigger, then I can't do this…" Dean moved him up onto his shoulders, which was the best! He was actually tall now. He loved being able to see everything. "See, now you don't wanna get older, do you?"_

 _"No," he said with a smile. "I like being up this high so I can see everything."_

 _"Then I guess you're not allowed to get older then," Dean said._

 _"Ok," he said happily._

 _Dean started walking again and they met up with everyone else in just a few minutes. Dean put him down again but kissed the top of his head as he handed him a flashlight. He walked around the little cemetery, and then pointed out four that were all killed on the same day and that were pretty young when they had died. "Dad," he said to get Dean's attention._

 _"Good job, kiddo," Dean said, ruffling his hair. "Alec found the four boys," Dean said to everyone else._

 _"And here's Leticia Gore," Sam said, looking at another tombstone._

 _"The weirdos are still looking around," he said to Dean, tugging on his jacket. Chuckles and Stringbean weren't walking over to where they were, and were instead still looking around the cemetery._

 _"Ah…what are you guys doing?" Dean asked._

 _"We're looking for bones, genius," Chuckles said like it was obvious. "They gotta be around here somewhere."_

 _"Do they know that bones are usually buried?" he whispered to Dean._

 _"You guys know bones are usually in the ground, right?" Dean asked the two weirdos._

 _"Yeah, I know that. I just…" Chuckles trailed off as Sam pulled a shovel out of his bag. "Wait, hold on. Are you guys serious?"_

 _"Deadly," Dean stated._

 _"We're not really digging up graves you guys," Stringbean said. "We're just playing a game."_

 _"And you can't dig up a grave around a little kid," Chuckles said._

 _He glared at the guy, but Dean spoke before he could say anything. "Trust us. You wanna win the game, right?"_

 _The two guys were definitely not comfortable with this idea, but they didn't say anything else. Sam tossed the shovel to Dean, who motioned for him to come with him. He sat on top of the headstone and pointed his flashlight down on the ground, so Dean could see where he was digging._

 _He couldn't tell if the two guys were going to bolt or not, but he didn't really care right now. He was just happy that Dean was letting him still be part of the hunt. He didn't want to be stuck inside without Sam or Dean even though now would be a great time to get some answers from Chuck, but he wanted to be around Dean more._

 _"Dad?" he asked once Dean was knee-deep in the grave._

 _"Yeah kiddo?" Dean asked without stopped._

 _"Why aren't we digging up the kids too?" he asked._

 _"Well, because once we get rid of the teacher lady, then the kids should be at rest and shouldn't haunt the place anymore," Dean said._

 _"Shouldn't we dig them up to make sure?" he asked._

 _"Not this time, kiddo," Dean said._

 _"Why not?" he asked._

 _"Because we're with a couple of dweebs, and I don't wanna hang around them any longer than I have to," Dean said. He giggled and nodded in agreement. "Plus, I want that pie," Dean said._

 _"Yeah!" he said. He'd forgotten about getting pie later._

 _"And a big, greasy burger," Dean said._

 _"Now I'm hungry," he said._

 _"Well, we're almost done here, so we'll head out and find a place with burgers and pie," Dean said. He heard the shovel hit something solid and knew that Dean had made it to the coffin. Sam walked over with Chuckles and Stringbean as Dean busted into the coffin, revealing the skeleton._

 _Chuckles gasped, "That's not a plastic skeleton. That's a…that's a skeleton skeleton…"_

 _"You just dug up a real grave…" Stringbean breathed._

 _"Yeah," Dean said as he got out of the grave._

 _"You guys are nuts," Chuckles said._

 _"I thought you guys wanted to be hunters," Sam said with a shrug._

 _"Hunters aren't real man! This isn't real!" Chuckles said, completely freaking out._

 _"You just dug up a grave in front of a tiny, little kid," Stringbean said._

 _He frowned since he wasn't that little. "And he's not even freaked out!" Chuckles said._

 _His eyes widened when a creepy ghost lady appeared behind Sam. "Uncle Sam!" he yelled, pointing behind him._

 _Sam spun around and the lady yelled, "Naughty, naughty, naughty!" She hit Sam, making him fly across the cemetery. Chuckles and Stringbean screamed and started to run, but Stringbean tripped and fell._

 _He blurred over to the duffle bags and quickly got the salt and lighter fluid since the two idiots were distracted and he wanted to get rid of this ghost before it could hurt Sam or Dean. He ran back to Dean and gave him the lighter fluid before he started pouring salt all over the bones. He could hear the two guys screaming as the ghost lady yelled at them some more._

 _Dean motioned for him to come back over to him, so he did, and watched as Dean threw a lighter onto the bones. They instantly caught fire, and the ghost lady screamed as she disappeared. Sam slowly walked over to them, and then he was being picked up again._

 _"Real enough for you?" Dean asked Chuckles and Stringbean. The two guys just looked like they were about to have a heart attack._

* * *

Present

"Any ideas for getting into whatever world Mom, Jody, and Jack are in? Or wherever Cas is at?" he asked Rowena. They were all in the rec room since he didn't want Alec moving much, but he knew if they met somewhere else, then his son would come find them. So, Rowena, Gabriel, and unfortunately Crowley, were all in the room with him, Sam, Ben, and Alec. Ketch was the only one missing, but he'd called to say he didn't have any leads yet, and he didn't think the guy in Seattle was the answer.

Sam's phone rang before anyone could answer, so he quickly got up and left the room. He was hoping it was Donna since they had called her to check up on Claire and Alex since they hadn't been answering their phones. Hopefully Claire and Alex had actually taken Alec and Ben's advice and gone to Donna's since Jody was missing.

"The only reason we could get into the world you were in, was because of you and Alec and Ben," Rowena explained. "You have to have been there to get back, but since Alec and Ben are you, then we were able to find a loophole."

"What if we have something that belongs to that person?" Alec asked.

"It has to be blood," Rowena said.

"I thought we were going to go to Seattle first," Ben said.

"We are," he said. "But Alec's not ready to travel yet, so we're starting on this."

"I'm ready to travel," Alec argued.

"No, you aren't," he said.

"Ketch doesn't know everything. I think we should go now," Alec stated.

"We're still planning on going to see that guy, Alec, but we've gotta wait until you're all the way back," he said, refusing to budge on this one.

"Look who's here," Sam said, walking back into the room with Claire, Alex, and Donna.

Alec silently groaned, but Ben hit his arm to keep him quiet. Alec hated it when people saw him like this, but he was going to have to get over it. They needed help, and he was happy to see that Claire and Alex really were ok.

"Thanks for the call, Alec," Claire said sarcastically, glaring at Alec.

"What did I do?" Alec asked.

"You were supposed to call when you were going to go to an alternate universe!" Claire said.

"Ben was supposed to call you," Alec argued.

"No I wasn't," Ben immediately said.

"Someone was supposed to call us," Claire said.

"Boys," he said, shaking his head no to get them to stop arguing.

Donna walked over to Alec and Ben and gave him both a big hug before she pulled back from them. "Next time I find out that you two went to another universe without calling me first, you're gonna be in a world of trouble," Donna said. "Especially since you called a demon before you called me."

"Sorry Donna," both boys said at the same time.

"Alright, we need some help finding a way to get everyone else back," he said once it was starting to get a little awkward. "We have a spell to do it, but we need blood to get there, which we can't get. So, we need to find another way or figure out a way to get blood somehow from Mary, Jody, or Jack."

"We think they all disappeared together since they were all standing pretty close to each other, but there's no guarantee," Sam said. "Me and Dean were only brought back because Alec and Ben are pretty much an exact match for Dean."

"Okie dokie," Donna said. "Looks like we've got some researchin' to do."

"Researching in here?" Alec asked, sounding slightly panicked. Alec hadn't been staying awake for very long, and typically he'd been falling asleep on the sofa since they had moved their beds back to their room.

"We can head back to the room," Ben whispered to his brother.

"And research can happen anywhere," he reassured. "In fact, the library would probably be better. Or even the map room, so you two don't have to move."

"I'll show you guys where everything is," Sam said.

He walked over to his two boys and crouched down in front of them. "I'll try to keep everyone out of this room," he said.

"Dad, when are we going to Seattle," Alec asked softly.

"Not for a few more days," he said, giving Alec's knee a gentle squeeze. "You just keep resting up, ok? And then we'll head out and find that guy."

"I'm ready," Alec said. "I'm eating solid food, I'm just tired, and I can sleep in the car. I think we should go ahead and go."

"Riding that far is gonna be hard on you, kiddo," he said. "And if that guy's not the answer, then you're gonna have to be ok until we find someone. I don't wanna risk it, so I wanna make sure you're all the way back."

"The longer we wait, the more likely it is that I'll start having them again," Alec said.

He stood up suddenly, making his boys jump, but then he motioned to them and said, "C'mon, scoot." Ben slowly moved away from his brother, making sure he was steady before he moved away completely. He sat down in between them and pulled them both against his sides. His boys leaned against him, and the three of them just rested for a while. He wanted to reassure Alec that everything was going to be ok, but he didn't know that. He'd almost lost his son.

"Hey, you guys need anything?" Sam asked as he walked in the room again.

He looked at Alec and Ben, but they both shook their heads no. "Nah, we're good," he said.

Sam walked over to the armchair and sank down onto it. "Was this a bad idea?" Sam asked. "There's too many people here…"

"We'll hit the road in a few days, and then it'll be just like old times," he said.

"That'll be good," Sam said.

"Did you go to Seattle before we came along?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, I've been to Seattle lots of times," he said.

"We had some pretty good times in Seattle," Sam said with a laugh.

"Hunts?" Ben asked.

"Some of 'em," he said.

"You didn't go in any of those books," Alec mumbled sleepily, leaning against him more.

"Books?" he asked.

"Yeah, those books about you and Uncle Sam," Alec said. "Lots of hunts. Ghosts, scarecrows, werewolves, shapeshifters, your Dad was in some of 'em too."

"You read those?" Sam asked, surprised. He was pretty surprised too since Alec had never mentioned it, and he had thought he would've asked a ton of questions when he finally read them.

"Alec was allowed to read those and I wasn't!" Ben said, sitting up more.

"I didn't know Alec read those," he quickly defended.

"You never said they were off limits," Alec muttered.

"I told Ben a few years ago that he wasn't allowed to read them until he was older," Sam said.

"When did you read them?" he asked.

"After that hunt at the fan convention," Alec said like it was obvious. "Everyone knew who you were, so I looked them up after that. You never said I couldn't read them."

"Can I read them now since apparently Alec's already read them?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, you can read them," he said with a sigh.

"How come you never asked about anything?" Sam asked Alec.

"Thought the books explained most of it, and you never talked about it, so I just thought you didn't want to," Alec said.

"Wish you would've told us you read them," he whispered, kissing the top of Alec's head.

"Why?" Alec asked, confused. "You didn't say they were off limits, so I didn't think I was hiding anything."

"No, I could've talked to you about them," he said. "Or Sam could have. You could have asked any questions you wanted, and you still can, but you were just nine when you read those books."

"There wasn't anything in there that I didn't already know," Alec said. "Well…except some things about you…"

"The sex stuff?" he asked.

"No, I knew about sex," Alec said. "It was the stuff about hell and you dying and about your Dad and that yellow-eyed demon and Uncle Sam's powers that he had back then. I saw some of that, but I didn't get some of it. But it filled in some gaps too. I just knew random things about you, so it helped."

"You can ask me anything you want," he said. "Ben, you too when you read them."

"Ok," Alec and Ben said at the same time.

He chuckled a little and shook his head, "I can't believe you already read all those."

"Uncle Sam threw a fit when I wanted to read them," Ben pointed out.

"I would've thrown a fit if I had known Alec was gonna read them too," Sam said.

"Too late," Alec said with a small, sleepy smile.

"You need to get some more rest, kiddo," he said, kissing the top of Alec's head.

"'M not that sleepy," Alec slurred. He started to get up, but Alec grabbed his arm and snuggled against him. "Don't go yet…" Alec mumbled.

"Ok kiddo, I'm not goin' anywhere," he said. Ben snuggled against his other side, so he held both of his boys close as they fell asleep.

* * *

 _2010_

 _"Why can't you just answer the question?" he asked Chuck. Sam and Dean were at the bar with the two dweebs, so now was his chance to talk to Chuck about being in the books, and what exactly the books were._

 _"I just…I don't think the readers will like Dean with a kid. He's more responsible with you around," Chuck said._

 _"You're lying," he stated. "I'm adorable. And hilarious. And this is a whole new dynamic for Sam and Dean, and I think the readers will be very interested in the most adorable character that was ever written."_

 _"I don't know what to tell you, kid," Chuck said._

 _"How 'bout you tell me the truth," he challenged._

 _"Ok, look," Chuck finally said with a sigh. "I can't add you in the books because I know what happened with the others…"_

 _"Others?" he asked._

 _"Manticore," Chuck whispered. His eyes widened in shock because only Sam and Dean and Bobby knew about Manticore. And he knew they wouldn't tell Chuck any of that. "The angels…they wiped the place out. Everyone is gone."_

 _"How do you know that?" he breathed._

 _"I saw it," Chuck said. "That's how I wrote the other books. I saw what happened and wrote it down because I'm a prophet…I guess. So, I saw what the angels did to Manticore, and if I put you in the books, then you're in danger. The more people that know about you, the worse it will be."_

 _"They're all gone?" he asked softly._

 _"Alec…I'm sorry," Chuck said. "After the angels found out about you, they went straight to Manticore and killed everyone. They wiped it off the map."_

 _His knees felt weak and tears were blurring his vision. He hated Manticore, but he had a few friends there. Not everyone was bad, and they didn't deserve to die. He jumped when someone touched his shoulder, but the tears started falling when he saw that it was Dean. He was immediately wrapped up in Dean's strong arms and held against his chest. "What the hell did you say to him?" Dean growled._

 _"I…I just…"_

 _"You don't talk to him unless I'm here with him," Dean snarled._

 _"What's wrong?" Sam asked, walking up to them. "Alec? What's wrong, kiddo?"_

 _"Chuck said something to him," Dean said as he rubbed his back._

 _"Let's just go," Sam said._

 _"How do you know for sure?" he asked Chuck, not even caring that he was still crying. "How do you know?"_

 _"Alec-"_

 _"What the hell did you tell him?" Dean asked._

 _"Manticore…I told him Manticore is gone," Chuck said._

 _"What do you mean gone?" Sam and Dean asked at the same time._

 _"The angels wiped it out," Chuck said. "I saw it happen after the angels met Alec for the first time. They were so pissed that they were playing God that they wiped it all out."_

 _"Even the kids?" Dean asked, shocked._

 _"I…yeah, I guess," Chuck said._

 _"Are they coming after Alec?" Sam asked._

 _"No, I don't think so," Chuck said._

 _Dean rubbed his back and held him closer, whispering soothing things to him to try to get him to calm down. He did finally manage to stop crying, but he was still really sad. He didn't like Manticore, but he didn't hate it either. And the kids were just like him, they didn't deserve to die. None of them asked to be created, so why did they have to go? He didn't understand._

 _"Shh, it's ok, baby, it's ok," Dean whispered. "You wanna get out of here?"_

 _"Yeah…" he said against Dean's neck._

 _"Alright, let's go get some food," Dean said. "How does that sound?"_

 _"Good…"_

 _"We'll get the biggest burgers we can find," Dean said as he walked over to the main doors. Sam beat Dean to the doors and tried to open them, but they wouldn't budge. "That's weird…" Dean muttered._

 _"Definitely," Sam said._

 _"Let's try a window," Dean suggested. They walked around the hotel, but everything was locked._

 _"It's almost like…" Sam started, looking around the room._

 _"Something's keeping us in?" Dean asked, finishing Sam's thought. Dean's arms squeezed him closer, but not so tight that he couldn't breathe. Dean had gotten better at not squeezing too tight when he didn't like something._

 _"This is bad," Sam said._

 _"Gee, ya think Sammy?" Dean sarcastically shot back._

 _A woman screamed suddenly, making him jump. Dean kissed the side of his head, and then put him down but grabbed his hand. They ran upstairs toward the sound of the scream and found the ghost lady from before running out of a room. Dean let go of his hand to catch the lady, who was seriously freaked out. "Don't go in there!" she yelled._

 _"Get downstairs, ok? Go!" Dean said, and the lady didn't need to be told twice. Sam and Dean walked into what turned out to be an old library, and Dean motioned for him to stay back, but he just stayed behind Dean. The kid from before was sitting in a corner of the room, holding his head again._

 _"Why'd you do that?" the kid asked. "Why did you send my Mommy away?"_

 _"Ah, maybe because of-" Dean grunted when Sam suddenly elbowed him in the side and shot a look back at him. Dean rolled his eyes, "How 'bout some thanks?" Sam cleared his throat and gave Dean a pointed look. "Well, I'm just saying, a little gratitude might be nice once in a while."_

 _"My Mommy didn't do this to me," the kid said._

 _"What? Then who did?" Sam asked, but the kid disappeared._

 _"Dammit…" Dean growled. Dean was about to pick him up again, but then someone else screamed and they were running again. Dean suddenly grabbed him and turned around to try to keep him from seeing, but it was too late. The hook man from before was scalped. "We gotta get everyone out of here," Dean said._

 _"How?" Sam asked back. "All the doors are locked. How are we going to get out to burn more bones?"_

 _"We shoulda just burned all the bones," Dean said, rubbing his back as they walked down the stairs again. "You were right, kiddo. We shoulda just gotten rid of all of them…"_

 _"What's goin' on at the convention now? Still the hunt? Or something…" Sam asked._

 _"They're all in the auditorium asking Chuck more questions," he whispered. "Or, at least they should be."_

 _"You're awesome," Dean said, kissing the side of his head again. "Alright, Sam, you get Chuck to stall and we'll get everyone else into the auditorium."_

 _It took a while to convince the staff to go to the auditorium, but eventually Dean was able to talk them into it even though they still grumbled about it._

 _"Buddy, I've got work to do," the manager said, trying one more time to get away from them._

 _"You're gonna want to see this, trust me," Dean said. "It's gonna be a hell of a show."_

 _Dean let him pour salt in front of the door once it was closed. "Ah, what does the future hold for Sam and Dean?" Chuck asked from the stage. "Well, how do you feel about angels? Yeah, because let me tell you, they're not nearly as lame as you think."_

 _"Ok, new theory," Dean said to Sam. "The legends about Leticia are ass-backwards obviously."_

 _"Yeah. So, alright, let's say those three orphans were playing cowboys and Indians," Sam said._

 _"LARPing as cowboys and Indians," Dean quickly corrected._

 _"Whatever," Sam said. "And let's say they scalped Leticia's son and killed him."_

 _"Mom catches 'em in the act, flips out, slices them and dices herself," Dean said with a nod._

 _"If that's true, it means we've got three bloodthirsty brats in the building," Sam said._

 _"Yeah and Leticia was the only one keeping them under control," Dean said._

 _"Smooth move on our part," Sam muttered._

 _"We shoulda listened to Alec," Dean said, ruffling his hair. "You were the only one thinking." He smiled a little and leaned against Dean's side. "But now we gotta get back to the cemetery and torch the kids' bones."_

 _"How?" Sam asked. "We're trapped. We don't even have our guns! The ghosts are running this joint and they're only scared of one thing."_

 _"Exactly!" Dean said. "C'mon kiddo, let's go sweet-talk that ghost chick."_

 _Dean grabbed his hand and they walked over to where the ghost girl was texting on her phone. She looked up and smiled when she saw Dean, but he was ready to participate some more. "We need your help," he said before Dean could say anything._

 _"Ok," she slowly replied._

 _"We need you to pretend to be the real Leticia Gore," he stated. "You have to tell the ghost kids that they can't kill people."_

 _"You want me to do what?" the lady asked._

 _"You're an actress," Dean said. "We just want you to act."_

 _"I work at Hooters, in Toledo," she said. "No, you can forget it."_

 _"You'll be safe, we promise," Sam said. He scowled at Sam since he didn't think he should promise that kind of thing. But maybe it was ok since they really needed her to at least try to help. She could stop the ghost kids long enough for them to get out and burn the bones. "This is really important."_

 _"We wanna help," Chuckles suddenly said to Dean._

 _"Turn up the charm, kiddo," Dean said before he turned to Chuckles, "Guys, no."_

 _"Please?" he asked the ghost lady, trying to look as sad as he could. This look pretty much always worked on Dean, so it would probably work on this lady no problem._

 _"Why not?" Chuckles asked Dean._

 _"Oh my God…you're cute," the ghost lady breathed._

 _"'Cause this isn't make-believe," Dean said, still talking to Chuckles._

 _"Look, we know. We're not nuts," Chuckles said. "We're freakin' terrified."_

 _"So, you'll help?" he asked ghost girl._

 _"Yeah, but if all these people are seriously in trouble. We gotta do something," Stringbean said._

 _"Why?" Dean asked._

 _"Because, that's what Sam and Dean would do," Chuckles said._

 _The ghost girl sighed, but then said, "Fine. I'll help."_

 _"I get to help too, right?" he asked Dean, tugging on his hand._

 _Dean crouched down in front of him, and then pulled him closer. "I don't want you in on this one Alec."_

 _"But it's ghosts. You said I could help on ghost hunts, remember?" he said._

 _"Why don't you stay here with Chuck and help him keep everyone in this room," Dean suggested._

 _"But I wanna go with you," he whispered._

 _"I want you to be safe, kiddo," Dean said. "The best place for you right now is in this room."_

 _"I can help dig graves, or I can help give you backup," he said._

 _"Next ghost hunt, ok kiddo," Dean said._

 _He pouted a little bit, but then Dean was picking him up and bringing him up to the stage. He glared at Dean as he walked away, but Dean didn't seem to notice. He wanted to run after Dean and help, but he knew this was important too. People could get hurt if they left this room, and he didn't think Chuck was up to the task of keeping everyone entertained._

 _"Can I have that?" he asked Chuck, pointing to the microphone. Chuck looked confused, but then handed him the microphone. "What d'you guys wanna know about Sam and Dean?"_

 _"Alec-"_

 _"Dude, I got this," he said. He looked out at everyone, but they were just looking at him in confusion. "Ok, look, I know things about Sam and Dean that haven't made it into these so-called books."_

 _"They aren't 'so-called', they actually are books," a lady said._

 _"I know for a fact that Sam loves Celine Dion," he said, ignoring the lady. "He tells Dean that his favorite is Elvis, but it's really Celine Dion. He hums sometimes in his sleep, and it's usually that lovey-dovey song from that movie about that ship."_

 _"Titanic?" a guy asked._

 _"That's the one," he said. "He hums it all the time when Dean's not around." And he knew every word because Sam sang it way too much._

 _"How do you know that?" another guy asked._

 _"Alec got a sneak peak into some of the new books as a sort of prize," Chuck quickly covered. "And he got to look through some of the early drafts where things like that didn't make it into the books."_

 _"Dean knows all the words to the song 'Tom Sawyer' and is really proud of it," he continued. "He sings it as loud as he can when it comes on the radio, and then he keeps singing it off and on for about three days." Another song that he knew all of the words to. "And a lot of times Sam forgets how smart Dean is because Dean likes to joke around a bunch, but Dean reads a lot more than Sam knows." Dean read to him all the time, so he wasn't sure why Dean pretended to not know things sometimes._

 _"Which book were those cut from?" a lady asked._

 _"Hell House," Chuck quickly jumped in._

 _"Dean claims he doesn't like romantic comedies, but he's seen almost all of them. He likes the happy endings even if they are super unrealistic," he said._

 _"Which one is his favorite?" a man asked._

 _"The Wedding Singer," he said. "But he says it's still manly and ok to like it because it's Adam Sandler, and everything with Adam Sandler is great." He walked over to the chair and stood up on it so he could see better._

 _"Alec, you shouldn't stand on that," Chuck said._

 _"I'm not a baby," he shot back._

 _"Do Sam and Dean watch the romantic comedies together?" someone else asked._

 _"No because that would be weird," he said. "But they do watch action movies together and they have sports on a lot. But they usually only really watch movies at Bobby's house."_

 _"I don't have time for this…" the manager muttered as he stood up and walked back over to the door._

 _"We have to stop him," he whispered to Chuck._

 _"Excuse me!" Chuck said, running after the manager. "You really can't leave. Please sir." He rolled his eyes since he wouldn't stop either if he was the manager. Chuck didn't sound very intimidating. The manager started to open the door, but Chuck yelled, "Don't open that door!"_

 _He jumped off the chair and ran over to where the manager already had the door open, breaking the salt line. A ghost boy appeared in front of the manager, smiling at him with a creepy smile. The ghost boy had a knife in his hand, so he took off to find something made of iron. He grabbed an old looking stand, and then yelled, "Chuck!" He tossed the stand to Chuck, who staggered just a little since it was kind of heavy, but then he swung it at the ghost kid, making him disappear._

 _He ran over and slammed the door shut, moving the salt around to complete the salt line again._

 _"I said nobody leaves, damn it," Chuck said. Everyone was shocked, but he was more concerned that Sam and Dean weren't done yet. He wanted to run out of the room and check on them, but he trusted Dean. It was really hard for him to just let Dean do something without him, but he needed Dean, so he couldn't lose him. "Alec, c'mon, everyone wants to hear more about Sam and Dean," Chuck said._

 _"I wanna know that they're ok," he whispered._

 _"They're going to be ok," Chuck said._

 _"You don't know that," he said._

 _"They don't want you to leave this room, remember?" Chuck said._

 _"You can talk to everyone again," he muttered. He wasn't going to move from this spot until Dean came back._

 _"Just…don't leave this room, ok?" Chuck said._

 _He stood there and watched the door while Chuck went back on the stage and started talking to everyone again. He didn't listen to what he was saying. He just wanted Sam and Dean to come back._

 _He ran at Dean as soon as he opened the door a few minutes later, and Dean immediately scooped him up and held him close. "Hey kiddo," Dean whispered._

 _"Are you ok?" he asked._

 _"Yeah, I'm good, Sammy's good, and the ghosts are gone," Dean said._

 _"Do we have to stay in this room?" he asked._

 _"Nope, we don't have to stay in this room," Dean said. Actually, everyone was leaving the room now, and there were a lot of people out in the lobby. He wasn't sure what was going on, but Dean was ok, so he didn't really care about anything else. "You know, I gotta hand it to you guys," Dean said. He was surprised to see that they were outside now and Chuckles and Stringbean were walking with them. "You really saved our asses back there. So ah, you know, thanks." Dean rubbed his back as he walked, but then he stopped suddenly and said, "Guys, I don't even know your names."_

 _"Oh, well, I'm Barnes. This is Damian," Stringbean said. He liked his names for them better. "What's yours?"_

 _Dean was quiet for a minute, "Dean. The real Dean."_

 _Stringbean and Chuckles looked at each other, and then they started laughing. "Ahh, yeah right. Me too!" Chuckles said._

 _"Get the hell out of here Dean!" Stringbean said with a laugh._

 _Dean took a deep breath and nodded, "Well, anyway. Thanks. Really."_

 _Dean started to walk away again, but then Chuckles said, "You're wrong you know."_

 _"Sorry?" Dean asked._

 _"About Supernatural," Chuckles said. "No offense, but I'm not sure you get what the story's about."_

 _"I that so," Dean said, amused._

 _"In real life, he sells stereo equipment," Chuckles said, pointing to Stringbean. "I fix copiers. Our lives suck. But to be Sam and Dean, to wake up every morning and save the world. To have a brother who would die for you. Well, who wouldn't want that?"_

 _"Maybe you got a point," Dean said. Dean kissed the side of his head, "Thanks again, guys."_

 _"Do you really believe them?" he asked softly as Dean started walking._

 _"I think maybe at least part of it they got right," Dean said. "You and Sam make things worth it." Dean walked over to their Impala and leaned against the side. "You ok, kiddo?"_

 _"Yeah," he said._

 _"Maybe Chuck didn't know what he was talking about with the angels and Manticore," Dean said. He just shrugged and snuggled against Dean's neck. "Alright, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."_

 _"I just don't know why they would kill everyone," he whispered._

 _"I don't know, kiddo," Dean said, rubbing his back again._

 _"We didn't ask to be made," he said._

 _"Alec, I'm so sorry," Dean said. "They should've just helped those kids, not kill them. But we still don't know if Chuck was telling the truth or not."_

 _"He was…" he mumbled. Dean took a breath to say something else, but he quickly spoke before he could, "Where's Sam?"_

 _"I think he's talkin' to Chuck," Dean said._

 _"Where are we going next?" he asked._

 _"Probably Bobby's house. How's that sound?" Dean asked._

 _"Good," he said with a small smile. He really liked hanging out at Bobby's house._

 _"We can play in the creek again if you want to," Dean hesitantly suggested. Dean had an easier time suggesting food options than when they stopped to play or something._

 _"I really like the creek," he said. "Can we watch movies on the sofa too?"_

 _"We can do that," Dean said, running his hand through his hair. Dean rubbed his back and held him close as they waited for Sam. He didn't mind the silence because Dean was ok, and he still got to stay with Sam and Dean._

 _"You ok?" Sam asked as he walked up._

 _"Yeah, I think I'm good," Dean said._

 _"Well, you're not going to believe it, but I got a lead on the Colt," Sam said._

 _"What?" Dean asked, suddenly tense._

 _"Long story, I'll tell you on the way," Sam said._

 _"We're still going to Bobby's house, right?" he asked._

 _"Yeah, we're still going to Bobby's and we're going to go get some food and we're still going to play in the creek," Dean reassured. "We're still gonna have some fun, but this is good news." He snuggled against Dean's neck again. He was just happy that he got to stay with Sam and Dean, and he was going to find those books as soon as he could._

* * *

Present

He tucked Alec in and kissed his forehead before he kissed Ben's forehead too. His boys were sleeping in their mega-bed, as Alec had called it. Really, they had just pushed their two beds together once they had gotten their mattresses back into their room. Ben was still freaked out that he was going to lose his brother, and Alec was worried that the seizures were going to come back, even if he tried to pretend that he wasn't.

He plugged in the Christmas lights that were hung around the room since he knew his boys felt better with the lights on, and then he reluctantly left their room. He didn't want to leave them at all, but since Alec was starting to get better, he knew he couldn't hover as much as he had been. But he wasn't going to feel ok until they got rid of the seizures for good.

"Hey, they ok?" Sam asked as he sat down across from him in the kitchen.

Sam slid a beer over to him. "Yeah, they're ok," he said. "I just wish the seizures were gone for real."

"We have more time, so we can find someone who can help," Sam said.

"For once I wish Ketch would call us," he muttered.

"In a few days we can go up there and find that guy ourselves," Sam said. "Ketch probably just skipped town."

"Once we get Alec and Ben taken care of and get everyone back, we're taking a freakin' vacation," he grumbled.

"Dude, if we pull this off, then we're retiring," Sam teased.

He chuckled and shook his head no, "Try tellin' that to the twins."

"Hey, you're the Dad," Sam said.

"Yeah, but you're the hard ass," he shot back. His phone started to ring before Sam could get him back. He dug his phone out of his pocket and frowned when he saw Ketch was calling. "Speak of the devil," he muttered before he answered, "Yeah?"

"Ah, Dean," Ketch said. "There has been a slight hiccup in the investigation."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah? What's that? Quitting already?"

"Actually, I need your assistance," Ketch said. "It appears that I may have, as you Americans say, 'poked the bear', and have been taken hostage."

"They let you make a phone call?" he asked, not quite believing Ketch's version.

"They would like to know who I am working for, so obviously I gave them your name, and they would like to meet you," Ketch said. "Which is why they let me make a phone call."

"Ketch you son of a bitch," he grumbled.

"Be a good lad and get to Seattle as quickly as possible," Ketch said. "These are not patient people."

Ketch hung up, so he muttered, "Guess we're goin' to Seattle sooner than I thought…"

"What's up?" Sam asked.

"Ketch got himself captured and gave us up," he said. "He said he needs us to come up there and rescue him."

"Leave him," Sam said with a shrug. "The guy's tried to kill us multiple times."

"Except he might've actually found something…" he said. "He was trying to find things out about Manticore, so it was probably Manticore that got him."

"But the angels wiped out Manticore," Sam said.

"That's what those douchebags told us. Doesn't mean it's true," he said.

Sam sighed, but then nodded, "Alright, so, we leavin' in the morning, and are the boys goin' with us?"

He ran his hand down his face, but then nodded. "Yeah…leavin' in the morning with the boys."

"Seattle here we come."

* * *

 _More soon..._


End file.
